Editorial Graphics

Editorial graphics and the lay out of a page, not only determine how an article is read, but also the mood of an article or feature. The layout of image and text is used to guide the eye through the article, making for an easy read. While the font, style, colouring, and images may help to create a mood.

“The headline is, alongside any large images, the most important element for attracting the reader’s attention. It has to convey information about the article in a very limited number of words and, unsurprisingly, must be considerably larger than the surrounding text to draw in the reader’s eye as he or she is leafing through a publication.” [1]

As you can see all these articles use different page furniture to create a layout that is individual to its copy, each one is both visually appealing and guides the reader through its text. Each layout addresses its audience differently, the two more minimalistic features suggest an element of class. The article about golf is instantly recognisable due to its imagery. The subtle use of a manipulated dollar sign in the word swing, suggests an element of wealth within its target audience.

The comedy article, uses bold fonts and strong colours to grab the readers attention. Whilst the final article applies a more subtle use of colour. With grey and black text mirroring the black and white photograph on the opposite page, and then a contrasting red, to draw the eye to the page. The way the text has been laid out has also been done to improve the visual aesthetics of this page.

“Like most graphic design, newspaper and magazine design is an exercise in combining technical detail with artistic flair. The core components of editorial design are text and pictures, so a keen understanding of typography, layouts, grids and composition is essential.” [2] 

A lot of though goes in to creating a visually appealing article, that is also clear and easy to follow. The layout of page furniture is extremely important when creating an article, in order to make it both look professional and attractive to the eye.

[1] Jason Whittaker. Magazine Production. (2008). Taylor & Francis Group. Page 141

[2] Available:http://www.designcouncil.org.uk/about-design/types-of-design/graphic-design/editorial-design/. (05/12/13).