Cover page analysis
At first, we were quite hesitant when it came to the cover because we wanted it to perfectly represent what message we were trying to send through the rest of the magazine.
The first challenge was finding the perfect image for the cover. We wanted the magazine to give the audience an insight into the hijab and its importance.
However along with that we wanted the cover to fit our aesthetic which was minimal but also aesthetically pleasing.
At the end we went for this beautiful purple aesthetic for the cover. It’s a beautiful image displaying hijab fabric showing the folds and creases which enhances the beauty of the fabric itself. We were able to capture this using hijab material we have at home along with all the photography in this magazine being our own.
After deciding on the cover image, it was a matter of choosing the right font and what kind of front cover design we wanted. When choosing this we wanted to accentuate our existing aesthetic as much as possible.
As for cover designs, we experimented with them using both black and white fonts however we concluded that white looked aesthetically pleasing and matched our aesthetic better than black. We also decided that we wanted the full page on the cover, but we added a thin white border around the text which made it look very professional but also minimal which was our goal for our set target audience.
When it came to choosing appropriate fonts, we knew we wanted a script font for the front page because we wanted to stick to the chosen aesthetic and use anything to accentuate it. We choose the font "Magnetic italic" because we wanted something that was aesthetic but also went well with the cover image.
Once it came to placement of the font, we experimented with the font placing it as an italic, straight down or slightly rotated but we decided that having it straight down looked better and went better with the border.
Overall, I am happy with the outcome of the cover page, we did our research thoroughly and made sure everything linked to our aesthetic and target audience. We paid attention to small details because the smallest details can have the biggest impact. I honestly think we did a really good job with the cover because everything was carefully considered and calculated so that it could reach our standard of work.
Contents page analysis
Since we had the cover page done it was a matter of consistency and keep the aesthetic and theme consistent throughout the magazine.
At we first we wanted to go for a pink theme however we decided to change that to nude because since it’s the contents page we needed a subtle introduction to the magazine which is still aesthetically pleasing and minimal.
Once we changed the theme and colour palette for the contents page, we also ended up changing the grid layout to suit our aesthetic which was minimal and effective.
At first, we had a script font as the title however we wanted an editorial feel to the magazine, so we changed the font from "Magnetic italic" to "Meno Banner regular" which beautifully matched with the feel and theme of the contents page.
For the body text we wanted a font that went well with the title font and that is not too distractive but rather enhances small details of the page. We choose the body text "Menno Banner regular" for both the title and body text because it gave the minimal feel and aesthetic that we were looking for.
At that point once we had the grid layout and colour theme down, it came down to perfecting small details such as having page numbers and adding borders around the title and the numbers.
We made sure to keep certain details consistent such as borders around the page numbers. One important detail that we kept consistent is the grid layout which kept all the information in the middle across all the pages which were in line with the top and bottom of the flower on the advertisement page.
Overall, I am very pleased with the final outcome of the contents page because it set the standard and the feel for the rest of the magazine. Just like we did for the cover page we did our research thoroughly and made sure everything linked to our aesthetic and target audience.
Double page spreads analysis
Once we got to the double page spreads it was a matter of sticking to our pink and nude colour palette while remaining consistent throughout.
For the double spread pages, we went through several phases before reaching our final design outcome. We had several grid layouts, but the difference was quiet minimal however we focused on small details because the small details make the biggest difference collectively.
We also ended up changing the scrip font "Magnetic italic" to "Menno Banner regular" for an editorial feel throughout the magazine. So for all the body texts in the magazine are in "Menno Banner regular" as well as all the headings except for the Cover page.
One thing we did was add arabic text on specific images on all the pages because we wanted to include arabic to our project because it links to the topic of the hijab and Arab culture.
Due to the fact that we used the text from the Gentle Woman about the Japanese lady she was quite indulged in her culture and quiet proud of it so we wanted to put our own twist to it. By putting arabic text we created a sense of consistency throughout the magazine by it linking to culture.
Overall, I am happy with the final outcome of the first Double page spread because it carried it on the standard set by the contents page as well as reaching our goal which was to keep it minimal but aesthetically pleasing.
Overall, I am happy with the final outcome of the second Double page spread because it allowed us to have different grid layouts throughout the magazine as well as reaching our goal which was to keep it minimal but aesthetically pleasing.
One important detail that we kept consistent is the grid layout which kept all the information in the middle across all the pages which were in line with the top and bottom of the flower on the advertisement page.
For this page what we did was dedicate one page to the advertisement and the other page to jewellery and more information on that. We wanted to look into jewellery which are appropriate for hijabis to wear with their outfits. So we did extensive research on that subject matter and how we can advertise that and make it easier for hijabis to look nice while still observing the hijab.
Overall, I am happy with the final outcome of the third Double page spread because it carried it on the standard set by the previous pages, while allowing us to do a poster for the advertisement as well as reaching our goal which was to keep it minimal but aesthetically pleasing.
Pre-Launch Advertisement
We also did a pre-launch advertisement along with the magazine although it was not part of the brief.
The Pre-launch advertisement would be displayed before the releases of the magazine to promote it.
We did mock-ups in locations such as train station and bus stops which give a wider audience and people from different walks of life.
The aim of this was to really visualise how it would look and also making it location specific for our target audience.
Conclusion
In conclusion we researched our subject matter thoroughly and made sure to include our extensive research ideas in the outcome of the magazine.
The magazine was beautifully executed, and we were able to reach our target audience while also staying true to our values and our initial aesthetic as well as colour palette.
I think this project allowed us to work together really well while still having our own individual ideas we were able to constantly improve and make an improvement whether that was an improvement to, the typeface, the grid structure or the choice of colours.
I think we executed this project well and we paid attention to the small details because the small details make the biggest difference collectively.
I think we stuck to our values, aesthetic and our initial ideas and were able to build on them and remained consistent when it came to page designs and typefaces.
In the end we made a flipbook for the magazine which looked absolutely beautiful and you can have a look at the link below:
Comments