HOTSHOE magazine is UK's leading contemporary photography magazine, published 4 times a year it is the first to spot and support innovative work. Their accessible features are not only the product of a powerful visual aesthetic, but also strong writing and intelligent design.
On the cover, HOTSHOE uses a contrasting stock feel. Gloss for the photo and matte for the cover. This establishes the format of the content and shows how they care to reproduce the best quality for the photo by printing on gloss.
The lack of captions on all theses pages consequently put all of the focus onto the photos. This is similar to the template used in photography books. Therefore in a way by doing so in their magazine, it appeals to the same audience. Something to take note of when trying to create my publication for an audience. Rather than trying to explicitly cater, to use templates that are associated with other types of publications to attract that audience.
Moving on from layout, the production of the magazine is surprising. Despite using film photography, it does not seem that the size of the magazine is influenced by it. This maybe due to the magazines varied types of photography it showcases from both digital and film. Nevertheless, the size of the magazine does not noticeably affect the quality of the photos. Printed on an almost glossy matte stock, these choices go against the comments received in the initial feedback. Saying that the gloss stock would take away the context and feel of the film photography. On the other hand, the size of the publication could be a way to deliberately show to the reader that it is film photography due to the visible grain seen.
When displaying copy, the magazines opts for matte stock. Contrasting against the gloss, it works the same way as how the full bleed red and full white differentiate the type of content. Furthermore, on these pages there are very little to no pictures, working in the same way in how there's no copy on the photo pages. The magazine is perfect bound, detracting little from the content however adding little to an engaging reading experience.
Finally is these last few pages coloured in blue. This highlights how well a singular colour has been used within the magazine. Straightaway the blue evokes connotations that this section is not entirely related to the main content inside, which is true. This is helped on by the choice to use a colour that contrast heavily against the bright red.
Daido Moriyama: In Light and Shadow.
As mentioned before in some of my Level 04 blogs, Daido Moriyama is a famous street photographer that is known for his distinct film and photographic style. In this book, the photos are displayed on gloss stock, which makes for Moriyama's unique photo quality very clear for the reader.
Unlike HOTSHOE, the book combines images and copy in an engaging manner. Alternating the sizes and layout of the photos whilst keeping the copy consistently in the same columns. As a result, the pictures don't necessarily have the full attention of the reader but are more like visual hints which make reading the large amount of copy easy. The form factor of the book is more towards the expected format of film photography to be showcased in order not to compromise on the quality.
The sections are labeled less explicitly in this book compared to HOTSHOE but do follow the same template, making it easy to identify. The copy within this book does not fully extend throughout. By about halfway it finishes and the book turns into more of a traditional photo book.
The format and production of this book may be largely due to it being published by TATE. The reserved and predictable layout of the pages may be done to appeal to the museums international audience.
In this book, the influence of the publication's production is more noticeable onto the content. The smaller form factor changes the reading experience to a more casual one. The smaller form factor influences the typeface used for copy.
In order to maintain the level of readability, a typeface of thinner strokes and larger counters is used to make it look bigger than it actually is. The smaller form factor make Moriyama's photos appear sharper and copy is placed in the middle of the page where the eye and following photo naturally sits, reducing the amount the reader has to adjust.
Whilst unable to view Ed Ruscha's photography book on Los Angeles, Course of Empire was available. This is an example of how the images within the publication entirely dictate the form factor. Produced to display the artwork, the book is unusually wide.
The design choices on the cover of The 35mm Photographers Handbook are in line with the book's purpose and audience. The soft plastic padded cover protects the book from travelling abroad mishaps, its padding makes it soft for carrying and the form factor is easy to store and hold. The design on the cover relates directly to the book's content, explicitly setting the narrative.
The cover design extends into the introductory pages and section starter, creating an identity that runs through.
There was also a section explaining photographing architecture. The article talks about how light is the most important aspect when photographing architecture. This was a consideration when photographing the shophouses. Ensuring that the shophouses were properly lit before shooting from the sunlight. If not the photographs risk getting foggy exposures from lack of brightness.
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