OUGD504 - Design for Print - Layout / Compositional Exploration and Selection

The Bond Street Brand Directory must target and appeal to those familiar with the street with 'the highest density of haute couture stores anywhere in the world, including the rich, the famous, and the simply curious.' It must also have a high-end finish making it a desirable item in its own right to be owned by the clientele of these stores. While the exterior of the publication will be that which is seen initially, the interior page design is equally as important in communicating luxury, achieved through balance, structure and cohesive harmony throughout.

Finding the balance between type and image and identifying a hierarchy that allows for each page of the double page spread to flow effortlessly from one to the next will be of great importance in the publication's ability to maintain engagement.

Below shows exploration into the publication's compositional layout in attempt to achieve the above requirements in ensuring suitability for purpose and target.  

1. This double page spread layout features two full-bleed photographs on each page, meeting in the middle at the centre of the spread. Whilst this layout allows for typographic information to be clearly separated within 12.7mm margins by a vast expanse of photographic information - it appears centrally heavy as the images compete for attention due to lack of distinction and dividing space. 

2. This double page spread features images sitting left aligned within the pages 12.7mm margins, with typographic information exhibited to the right of the images, on each of the two pages. This layout while clear and consistent appears rigid, un-engaging and lacks the distinction and boldness achieved through full bleed photographic content.

3. This double page spread aims to bring together the best of experiments 1 and 2, featuring a left page with photographic information sitting to the right of the composition within the 12.7mm margins and a right page featuring a full bleed image sitting left within the composition. Typographic content sits within the 12.7mm margins set next to the outside margin on each page respectively. This layout lacks visual balance, cohesion and harmony due to the alternating compositional structure.

4. This double page spread features full-bleed photographic content aligned to the outside margin on each page of the spread. This allows for typographic content, sitting within the 12.7mm margins, to be featured alongside each image towards the 1.75 inch inside margin. This composition allows for all information to be viewed functionally within an engaging format. Pages are able to be viewed individually due to the additional white space supplied via the larger inside margin, however appear harmonious in balance when viewed as a double page spread. The composition created allows the photographic content to boldly showcase Bond Street store signage up to the edge of the page, with typographic content supplying a pause in imagery in the centre of the spread, enhancing distinction and gaze engagement from all the way left - to all the way right. This layout amplifies the publications wide format via points of focus being showcased at either side of the spread creating additional/increased grandeur. Clean, clear and captivating - this compositional arrangement will allow for the Bond Street Brand Directory's high-class aesthetic to explored with enjoyable ease.

Typesetting

Typographic information throughout the Bond Street Brand Directory is set in the publications selected typeface, Baskerville,  and is ordered in the following sequence:

1. Store Name - Baskerville Semi-bold, 42pt.
2. Store Overview - Baskerville Regular, 12pt.
3. Store Address - Baskerville Semi Bold, 12pt.
4. Store Telephone Number - Baskerville Regular, 12pt.
5. Store Opening Hours Heading -  Baskerville Semi Bold, 12pt.
6. Store Opening Hours - Baskerville Regular, 12pt.

Type throughout the publication is aligned flush-left, optically kerned and black in colour to ensure maximum readability is experienced by the gaze of the reader. This puts to use Massimo Vignelli's theory that flush left type is the easiest formatting to read as the gaze has one starting point and clear, distinct line-ends due to the un-justified rag line.

The store name, set in Baskerville semi-bold 42pt, is all upper case to reflect the importance, distinction and strength of the brands that call Bond Street home. The capitalisation of brand name was also a consistency found throughout the photographic content during the trip reflection and therefore reinforces the publication content/contexts as a whole. 

All other typographic information is set at half the size of the store name, 12pt, following Massimo Vignelli's modernist principle of using only two point-sizes of type on a page, most notably one large point size followed by half of the original point size for ordering information and establishing a clear visual hierarchy. The point size of 12 is also the most commonly used for purposes of commercial print matter. 

Information set in semi-bold Baskerville regular is that which is deemed of the most importance and/or for the purpose of creating distinction between information via a structured visual hierarchy.