Exercise
13 Research into published layouts
I’ve been asked to study a variety of
magazine picture stories and see how images have been placed from beginning to
end, how the double-page spreads vary in sequence and also how on a spread
containing two or more images, they have been juxtaposed and sized.
Suggested colour supplements to study:
Sunday supplements:
•
Telegraph
•
Observer
•
Independent
•
Financial Times
International magazines:
•
National Geographic
•
Paris Match
There are also online editions of each of
the publications at the following addresses:
UK websites:
International websites:
Telegraph/Sunday Telegraph magazines
When the
Telegraph magazine does a profile piece of a person/s the picture editor seems
to do one of two things - either the feature has one main picture or a sequence
of pictures around a double page spread, see below:
In the group of articles above you can see how the picture editor has used three different styles; in the first scan pictures are scattered around the layout, seemingly in a random order but, in fact, the whole page balances out. In the second article only one image was used across the whole width of the page to emphasise the barrenness of the area. The third image was used as a background to the text and created a negative effect. The images were placed together creating a block image. The Telegraph picture editor used his images differently to suit each article, adding or subtracting numbers of images as they felt the article required.
The Observer magazine
From the
images available through Google for the Observer magazine I could see that a
feature article is accompanied by one main picture.
I tried
to find articles that went for more than a double spread but it seemed impossible.
In all
the examples I found that a double page spread contained an image that covered
2/3rds of the page with a single column of text. I’ll have to get a hard copy of the magazine
to see how pictures are handled when the article goes over more than a double
spread.
The Independent magazine
I have
always admired the photographic content of the Independent newspaper and think
it’s a good business ploy now that there is a cheaper version – ‘The I’,
available. The standard of pictures has
always been high; they always manage to achieve a different stance from other
daily newspapers apart from when they use generally available images.
The magazine
carried on that tradition and commissions exciting and visually stimulating
pictures.
Above
you can see double page spreads with a different layout for each one. The item on the left has the major part of
the text in 2 columns with an image spreading over 1/3rd of the
remaining page and extending across 2/3rds of the adjoining page, followed by 3
smaller images in one column. Overall
you are looking at a 6 column spread but used in an extremely creative way.
The 2nd
tear sheet comprises of 3 columns spread over the double page layout but
interspaced with one large picture spreading over 2 columns on the left hand
page and one column on the right hand page.
Then there is a 2-column stack of 3 images and a further column of
text. I feel this really allows the
story in the text to flow and the images compliment the story.
Another
couple of examples above shows how the editor has laid out either a double page
spread or a single page layout to the best advantage. Whilst the Independent is no ‘Sun’ newspaper who’s
edict to titillate the public to state what it is trying to say by using one
picture rather than words, the Independent marries both pictures and words in
an outstandingly creative way.
Financial Times Magazine
The Financial Times as the most respected financial newspaper and uses one strong image when writing a profile piece in its magazine. In the double page spreads above there are 2 columns of text and a whole page with one image of the subject.
When a profile continues to
a second page the layout stays very similar.
Above, in the left hand image, you can see how 2 pictures are used
amongst 4 columns of text. On the right
hand side there are 3 images with 3 columns of text but basically they are very
similar; one large picture supported by one or two smaller images with an
emphasised quote from the subject to draw the reader in placed on the left hand
top. The Financial Times readership is
more about words than pictures but strong visuals help to hold the reader into
the story.
International Publications
National Geographic Magazine
This
publication is available by subscription mainly. It is well known for its strong visually
stimulating images and garners stories from around the world and is considered
one of the major ecological magazines in the world. It’s every photographer’s dream to be
commissioned by National Geographic to take pictures for an article to be
included in its publication.
Looking at these screenshots of pages from National Geographic magazines, they commission only the best photographers to illustrate their articles. Use of several images on a page seems to be the norm and related items are juxtapositioned around the page. The National Geographic magazine is an unusual size from the other magazines that I have been studying in that it is 7 1/8" x 10 ¼ " (182 x 260 mm). The majority of magazines I’ve looked at recently are 11 ¼” x 9” (285 x 225 mm).
One of
the exciting things about this magazine is the way it changes the layout with
every article. Seeing the illustrated
pages above shows the diverse way that picture editors can use images to
illustrate an article. Here the editor
uses 3 pictures – firstly two pictures in a 3-column spread and a single image
one-column width. The second and third
examples have one image across a double page spread.
The two illustrations above show another way to use images in an article. On the left there are three separate images on a double-page spread with minimal text. The pages of any National Geographic magazine, in the majority, show large areas of white space which allows the reader’s eyes to travel around it and then settle on the selected image. By way of contrast, the second image goes against the standard layout completely as there is only one image spread across the whole page with little reverse coloured text.
I rate
the National Geographic alongside the Independent for strong, original images
and read both, when I get the chance, to see how they have illustrated their
stories in new ways.
Paris Match
I’ve
heard of this magazine but never really taken much notice of it because it’s
French. I know that it rates alongside
the National Geographic magazine in the articles it publishes but it’s never
been one for me to follow in detail.
Wikipedia gives the information that Paris Match is a weekly publication which covers
major national and international news along with celebrity lifestyle features
and was founded in 1949.
Both
images are used as a striking background to the whole article and cover the
whole double page with reversed out text with a yellow heading and white
sub-heading and text.
The
pages above left use a single image at page width with yellow heading text and
white reversed text to create drama. The
article on the right has a single image across a double-width spread. The page designer uses the dropped capital
often in articles to bring drama to a page.
The style is different and relevant to the text and storyline.
The right hand magazine has 5 images spread over 2 pages but this time they have clustered 3 pictures on the bottom left and 2 on the top right which balances out the spread. Again large, dropped capital letters highlight paragraph starts.
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