Front Cover

The front cover is such a key element to the overall look to a magazine it is what first catches the viewer’s eye and entices them to buy it and read on. I wanted my cover to really stand out, I had seen on a number of magazines they had their name foiled in gold on the front cover and I thought this would really draw the viewers eye in as it had done with me. We have an emboss press at University, however if you want a particular size and font you have to order it from a casting company in Liverpool. This company were amazing and did an incredible job and delivered it the next day. When I tried out the emboss plate on a variety of different papers I found it came out the best in a thicker glossier paper, it looked so professionally done and so sleek on the page. Throughout this whole process I found the remnants of the gold foil so intriguing as it has the name reverse embossed. 

When I posted this image on my instagram account HUMANOIDTREND, it got the most positive feedback. Due to this image attracting a lot more attention then the other I thought I should use this on my cover and have the other embossed on the reverse side of the page. 

Going through the whole process of the cover made me want to consider my brand a lot more as this embossing process was stamping my brand on different surfaces. It is something to consider when making my business cards for the degree show as I feel the reverse emboss could work well with that as well. It really draws ones eye into the title of the magazine. I have created all the different layouts in my magazine and it has come to 15 spreads and a front and back cover. However due to the size I could not get it printed at University so I needed to print it at ‘repo graphics’ which worked well as the quality of the paper and printing was impeccable. However they missed out two of the blank pages in my book so when I came to bind it the whole order of the book was thrown out of sync, as a result I am going to have to show it in spread format for my hand in and get it printed again for degree show.

Anatomy

The anatomy section of the Magazine is an area I have not really touched on yet. I wanted to use this opportunity to show my illustrative skills and draw my own bionic bodies that can be contrasted with the photographs. Also I could edit them into the photographs to make the models look like they are developing into the ‘HUMANOID’. 

It was suggested I should take combining my illustrative skills and photographic skills that I developed in my last project further as it was one of the most successful elements. I considered referring to the grey's anatomy book to push my illustrations further and make them more detailed. These illustrations were very effective as I was incorporating ligaments and muscle with mechanical elements such as constructing the spine with bolts along it. 

(grey's anatomy)

However once I put these illustrations in the layout they stood out because they were the only drawn feature so I decided to try to make them look as if they were x-ray images by editing and inverting them. This was very successful however they still lacked depth so I researched body printing by the artist David Hammons. 

(David Hammons)

This was an interesting avenue to look at however I did not want to create my own so I considered putting a background to each photograph so they were not hovering in the middle of blank page, this worked very well and gave the images the depth I wanted and helped integrate them in the layout. I also combined some of the illustrations with the models to make them look even more robotic, some were more successful then others. I have placed the most successful ones in the magazine.

Trend Book development

I did not want my magazine to be one-dimensional and be made up of just two photo shoots, I wanted the photo shoots to be the main feature but have elements to support it and create intrigue. That is why I want to consider chapters that would be made up of Texture, Architecture, Machinery and Anatomy. These three sections would break up and give order to the magazine and I believe Architecture images are key to the overall feel of the inspiration/trend book. An image that particularly stood out due to its success was of the lighting in a tunnel however I edited it to resemble a negative. It was suggested that this image was similar to Catherine Yass’ photography, she is renowned for doing no editing after her photographs are developed and only tampers with the modes on her camera to create the affects. I really like this effect and will try and replicate it with some of my other photographs.

                                                 

(Catherine Yass)

I am starting to consider the layout of the magazine and what images would work well together. Thinking if certain garments were used in one image and having them close up on the opposite page edited in an unusual way so it is not obvious to the viewer what they are looking at. 

In considering layouts I referred back to different fashion based magazines and how they layout fashion shoots and other elements. I also looked at magazines that I got the garments from particularly H&M's and TOPMAN magazine not only considering layout but elements that contribute to it such as type of paper, size of the paper and font. I have made the decision I want my magazine to be just bigger then A3 48cm by 68cm based on the size of a magazine I really liked and would draw in the viewer as most magazines are A4 size.