Work

Here are some of my favorite spreads from the next issue of Marinalife. I am pleased with how the Florida Keys layout turned out, and the San Diego layout started to grow on me.

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After three all-nighters (Thursday, Sunday, and Monday), it is time to send the next issue of Marinalife magazine to the printer. The files are ready; the disc sits anxiously on the desk. All that is needed is the final OK from the client tomorrow morning. Once the files have gone to print, I might have to spend some time reintroducing myself to my mattress.

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I’m working on a story spread for a magazine layout right now. Searching for a nice pull quote to help fill the page, I ran smack dab into this monstrosity:

Late fall and winter brings windy conditions to the region and offshore action slows considerably though you can expect to find glass-calm conditions offshore during the prime months of May to early November when you’ll have the best chance at catching blue marlin, striped marlin, black marlin, sailfish, dorado, wahoo and yellowfin tuna.

Would anyone like to apply the methods used in Sin and Syntax to decipher what the writer of this sentence is trying to say?

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Another issue of Marinalife magazine is underway. This will be my second issue designing the magazine, after tackling a complete redesign the first time around three months ago. San Diego is a featured destination in the upcoming issue, scheduled for delivery in early January.

I’m headed out to San Diego shortly after the magazine arrives, so this story greatly interests me. Below is the opening spread of the current design.

I’ve also included a two-page spread for a featured marina in the magazine. Hawk’s Cay, somewhere in the Florida Keys.

I’m not sure what my thoughts are on either of these designs right now. Pretty straight-forward. The type is very difficult to read in the San Diego image, but it shows up fine in print. I like the Hawk’s Cay layout, but it isn’t anything exciting or original. The client likes it, and that is the most important thing.

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I finished up a two, two-page spread for a story that will be published next January in the University of Maryland, Baltimore’s annual alumni magazine, Maryland magazine. The design is completely different from anything that has appeared in the magazine before. The feedback has been positive, but I think the higher-ups may not be comfortable with it.

The story starts off with this compelling paragraph:

Imagine falling asleep at night to the sound of shotgun blasts. Or coming home from school to find your belongings strewn on the street, again, because your family can’t pay the rent. Or hoping that your mother’s boyfriend doesn’t get high and hurt you like he’s done before. For some children who live on the fringes in Baltimore’s urban neighborhoods, traumatic events like these make up their everyday lives.

The article concentrates on the a local center helping families deal with different types of trauma, and the success of repairing families that wouldn’t otherwise receive help.

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No, not the movie. (Which had one of the worst endings ever!) Let’s talk bleeds. The term bleed is used for all objects overlapping the border of your document. That is to say, it an element touches the edge of your document, you want it to bleed off the page. The bleed in your document gives the printer some cropping  wiggle room.

Printer National has a useful synopsis on a document bleed, as well as step-by-step instructions for setting them up in your document. Yes, this can be done in Adobe InDesign. It could not be done in Quark. (Not sure if Quark 7 has this capability or not.)

A curious note: Printer National lists 1/8″ as standard bleed dimensions for the United States. I typically setup my documents to have 1/4″ bleed. That way, I can see it.

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There are two things I live by when designing: paginations and production schedules. The beauty of the production schedule is that it allows me to schedule a project and know what my obligations are. It is essentially a promise to the client that I’ll do “this” when they fulfill “that”. As it stands, I have seven days to get a magazine layout to a client. That includes scheduling photo shoots, getting the images from the photographer, and designing the layout. Of course, this is based on the assumption that the client will have all  of their provided copy and artwork to me by the required deadline. So, what happens when a production schedule goes to hell in a handbasket? I’ll let you know.

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Back in August, Brio Design was chosen among several Baltimore-area design firms to redesign the magazine for Marinalife, a membership-based organization that targets high-income powerboat owners. The magazine, published quarterly, boasts extensive destination and marina information for yacht owners.

The challenge was to create a design that showcased the beautiful photography throughout the magazine, while still maximizing the space on the page for copy. To achieve this, the forced justified two-column grid was changed into left-justified two-, three- and four-column grids. The content was also organized into two sections: features and departments.

The departments now follow a standard structure based on a two-column grid, while the features are now based on a three-column grid. The four-column grid is used solely for the partner directory. Folio elements were also changed to provide a cleaner look.

The result is an easier to read magazine that enhances the stunning photography, while still maintaining a structure that allows sections to be easily identified by the reader. The first issue featuring the redesign, a total of 108 pages (including cover), went to the printer yesterday afternoon and I’m very excited about it. Delivery date is scheduled for October 5.

To view before and after images of the magazine, click on the “more” link below. Enjoy!

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