Synopsis IN THIS PROBLEM you are simply being asked to write the text and design the page layout for a verbal-visual analysis (using a diagram) of a particularly strong example of contemporary print design. I will provide you with scanned images, which you will then adjust, using Photoshop. Problem Guidelines and Constraints The printed page on which we will be working is a tabloid format, whether horizontal or landscape (17 wide by 11 high) or vertical or portrait (11 wide by 17 high). The print resolution at that size (the output size) is 300 dpi. Although the page is tabloid, the live area is two inches smaller than the page dimensions, so that a one-inch white border is on all sides. Software For this problem, we will use Adobe Photoshop to resize and adjust scanned images for use in the overall layout, which we will prepare in a software for typesetting and page layout called Adobe InDesign.
 
 
11 in
17 in
The tabloid (11 x 17 in) page can be either vertical (portrait) or horizontal (landscape). The live area measures 9 x 15, with a one-inch white border on all sides.
Components The completed layout will include the following parts (see diagram above): (1) A full-color reproduction of the original artifact, unaltered. (2) A diagram derived from that artifact, perhaps in b&w only, with reduced opacity. Using superimposed lines, shapes and labels, it is a schematic map of the major features of the layout—it’s aligned edges (called grid lines), the distribution of colors, the selection and placement of type, its recurrent proportions (if any), and other basic attributes. (3) A brief written (typeset) text that describes in words what the diagram demonstrates visually. (4) Documentation or source notes about who designed the original artifact (f known), the date, its purpose, and where you obtained it. (5) The headline (or title) of your layout. (6) A series of small rectangular color swatches, showing the color scheme that was used in the original work. 600:025 Sections 1 & 2 graphic design one | problem 1
 
This problem will be critiqued in class on Wednesday, September 14. Revisions are due one week later.
home
original artifact, unaltered
title
diagram
written, typeset text
source
notes
color swatches look like this
Typesetting
One of the important goals of this problem is to learn how to “typeset” (or to set type), as distinct from “typewriting” or “word processing.” Here are some of the differences—
 
1) In typesetting, we use only one space at the end of a sentence, after a period, not two.
 
2) In typesetting, we rarely use underlining. Most words that were underlined in typewriting (such as book titles) are set in italics.
 
3) In typesetting, we use real quotation marks (or “curly quotes”), not the vertical hatch marks that are properly used to indicate feet and inch measurements.
 
4) We use three different kinds of dashes in typesetting for very specific purposes:
 
We use the familiar hyphen (the smallest dash) for hyphenating words.
 
We use an en dash (the width of the letter N, also called a nut dash) to indicate the passage of time. For example, we use it between months, times and years, such as July – August, or 7:30 – 9:45, or 4 – 5 years. It’s also used to separate parts of a compound adjective, such as Cincinnati–based. On a Mac computer, the keystroke for an en dash is option – hyphen.
 
Finally, we use an em dash (the width of the letter M, also called a mutt dash) to make breaks in sentences—such as this one. On a Mac, the keystroke for an em dash is option – shift – hyphen.
Click here for more examples of solutions to this problem
color
swatches
11 in
17 in
© Kenny Meisner 2010
© Brendan Thompson 2010
© Sarah Schultz 2010
 
What Similarities and Differences to Look For
Color (hues, light / dark values, intensities). Shapes. Thicknesses. Angles. Sizes. Proportions (size ratios). Aligned edges (called grid lines). Direction indicators. Densities. Textures. Typographic attributes. Visual rhymes. And so on.
Want to know more about what to look for in analyzing a layout? Click here to go to an online essay on “How Form Functions: On Esthetics and Gestalt Theory.”
© Amber Downing 2010
© Nikki Goldsmith 2010