Layout Research

LAYOUT

Gavin Ambrose & Paul Harris

To better my understanding of layout and grids, I got my hands on a book that explains, in depth, each important consideration of publication design.

- layout is the arrangement of the element of a design in relation to the space that they occupy and in accordance with an overall aesthetic scheme
- where and how the content will be viewed regardless of whether the final format is a magazine, website or package design.
- guide book communicates its content differently to a thesaurus
- 'The use of the grid as an ordering system is the expression of a certain mental attitude inasmuch as it shows that the designer conceives his work in terms that are constructive and orientated to the future' - Josef Müller-Brockmann

Entry Points

an entry point is a visual aid indicating where to begin reading
- e.g. newspapers contain textual content separated into discrete chunks - without this separation, the content would be too dense 
- the placement of an entry point can form part of the visual drama of a spread
- typical methods include using colour and font alterations

Scanning and Reading

- eye tracking software used to see how people scan a page, looking for an entry point

< showing common patterns of reader behaviour
- we tend to read from the top left corner in either an 'F' shaped pattern or scan over a page ending at the top right corner

This annual review demonstrates the use of entry points in a design.
- a main headline captures the reader's interest 
- this is combined with a coloured rule, leading the eye across to the right-hand page
- the image placement, by spanning the gutter, also helps lead the eye towards the copy.

- the careful placement of elements will help to guide a reader around a printed page
- its as much an art as it is a science, designer must develop a 'feel' for layout 

what I want my readers to do is for their attention to be grabbed primarily by the katakana character and then lead onto the translation. As for the spreads including image and text, I will experiment with a number of relevant styles I've previously explored. This will include influence from Japanese style books as well as ones like Monocle and LOST iN.

Appropriation

appropriation is the borrowing of a style, typically used elsewhere, as the basis for a design.

- this can be done purely for aesthetic reasons as a method to present info in a certain way
- but often it is done to borrow characteristics that are associated with the appropriate source
(in my case, Japanese design)