Based on some of the content of the imagery, it was thought that some would work well situated next to each other in order to create an interesting juxtaposition between images which highlights their similarities and contrasts, and so communicates a message to the reader. For instance, imagery of supermarkets at night, juxtaposing an image of the whole building with an image of the inside of the building. One idea in laying these images out therefore was to use this full page with a small border around each so that both images are the same size, and therefore create an instantly clear and impactful juxtaposition. Originally in the initial ideas stage it was thought that utilising loads of negative space would isolate the images on the page to highlight the themes of isolation in the context of the imagery, however, in these layout developments it was thought that these would potentially work better in minimising the negative space since the images communicate this theme on their own, and so less negative space was thought to give the images more of an impact to communicate this theme in their own way.
However, as a variation, these images were also experimented with utilising a juxtaposition between micro and macro formats in making one image smaller than the other and playing more on this negative space as originally planned. However, it was thought that this layout did not work as effectively in creating this intended juxtaposition and impact as the layout above.
Continuing to group images together to highlight juxtapositions between them and therefore communicate a sense of narrative through the book, another layout development was to stack images together in a columned format, working with the underlying column grid as well as reflecting the columned structure of petrol station signs, which tend to be tall and thin with information separated into different sections. In the use of content for this layout development, then, it was considered that, in a similar sense to the layout above, images of the outside of petrol stations could be contrasted with the insides of petrol stations. Variations in placement were experimented with in terms of this layout, exploring how this placement of images affects the narrative. Based on this it was thought that the variation where the stacked images are placed on the left works more effectively in terms of balancing negative space, however in terms of narrative, perhaps this is a bit backwards and the placement where these stacked images are on the right communicate a better narrative flow in going from the outside of the station to the inside, mimicking a more natural movement.
Although the layout idea above was considered to work effectively in the context of the book, these set of images were the only ones which could be appropriately and effectively formatted in this way and so was thought this layout might look out of place if utilised within the book. For this reason, these images were broken down into a wider column of two images rather than the original three. It was thought that this layout still communicated the original idea behind the column in separating images into sections like the typical design of a petrol station sign, and so still works in terms of the context of the book, but also means that this layout can be used more consistently throughout the book to create a balanced layout and pace.
As another consideration, it was thought that the context and format of these set of images worked in a similar way to that of the supermarket images, and so another layout development explored juxtaposing two individual images of these petrol stations at larger scales in order to create a more impactful juxtaposition and narrative for the reader to think about. This layout would also work more consistently with the layout of the supermarket images therefore, and so overall also creating a more consistent pace.
It was considered, however, that not every single image being used within this publication would fit the layout above and so further layout developments were explored which would create some structured breaks within the pace of the book which allow the reader some space to pause and really engage with what they have just seen or what has been communicated. One of these other layout developments explored the idea of perspective. It was thought that creating perspective within a layout would represent the typical structure of petrol stations and ways in which they have been photographed, with the individual pumps or roof creating perspective. For this then, it was decided to pair a full bleed image with a smaller one which has been placed just slightly higher than the centre of the page in creating some sort of continuity between the two images. It was also thought that this layout idea helps guide the reader's eyes to the next page and prompts them to continue reading, creating a sense of direction and movement through this perspective, which can also represent the movement within the images themselves created by the streams of light through the long exposure method of photography Akshay has used.
A further idea was to create some layouts whereby the image is stretched across the entire spread. It was found that idea this worked particularly well for specific images of petrol stations, which allows the full structure to be stretched across the spread, highlighting their architectural aesthetics. In certain photos which also feature light streams from Akshay's long exposure methods, it was thought these also worked effectively in this layout to continue in creating direction and movement to guide the reader through the book.
Returning to the idea of creating breaks of negative space throughout the book in allowing the readers pause for thought and therefore more engagement, it was thought that some images could be simply paired with a blank space. It was also thought this may be worthwhile to place steadily throughout the book since a lot of the photographic content is quite chaotic in its nature and so these breaks help to slow down the pace so that the reader does not get burnt out or lose interest due to an overload of information. For certain images which are hard to work with in terms of their size, these could be used actual size, leaving natural gaps of negative space at the end, working kind of as a small break in the same sense.
A few additional layouts were developed utilising some of Akshay's more simplistic long exposure shots on dark roads, exploring juxtaposing micro and macro formats as also explored in some of these first layout developments with supermarket images. However, it was thought that these did not work as effectively with the rest of the chosen photographs and did not fit with the themes of the book that well which made them look out of place when used next to other imagery. For this reason, it was decided not to use these sets of images and focus on using those images which have more structural content.
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