Armed with with only his eyes [no camera, nor money to scan], I set off to find out which magazines were worthy of my attention. I will be breaking this post up into three paragraphs, with each one answering the following questions:

• Why are you drawn to this magazine?
• What are your thoughts on the use of the cover space?
  • The typography?
  • The photographs?
  • The color used?
  • The subject matter?
  • The overall design?
• Do you think this cover enhances the likelihood of an impulse sale at the newsstand?
• Do you think it is appealing beyond the expected reader demographic?

You may notice, if you look closely, that I merely found images of the magazines that grabbed my attention. Please excuse my frugalness.

The Wall Street Journal

What, this is not a magazine? No matter, it still got my attention. I was drawn to this particular newspaper because if its lack of photograph. Not only that, but any images that did appear, were merely hand sketched. The cover [page] was interested because it appeared as though it was trying to get as much text on the page as humanly possible. The typography was indeed easy to read, though. The color was typical of a regular newspaper; however, they did use shading to help distinguish between articles [or blocks of text]. The subject probably played the biggest motivator for me [especially on this one, and definitely for all of them], because I am very interested in Business and Wall Street. I believe that the cover only enhances the likelihood of an impulse buy if the reader is looking for a lot of content … on the same page. I do not believe that the paper is appealing to anyone beyond its audience [or demographic]. I would rate the overall design a 3 out of 5, because it does not do a good job appealing to people outside of their ‘demographic’.

BusinessWeek

BusinessWeek garnered my attention because of their use of a photograph of a well-known [and successful] person. The big title of the magazine also grabbed my attention. The typography was very pleasant on the eyes, which always make a read more enjoyable. The magazine did a great job of mixing the right about of news with accompanying photographs. The colors were very well done as well. They used bold colors where they were most effective, and lighter colors in the sections where one focuses on the words. The subject matter, again, is what drew me to it. I love to read about successful business people and the tips that they give. I also just plain-old love hearing a good success story [as I hope to one day be very, very [, very, very, very] successful. I think the magazine might appeal to impulse buyers; however, they could do a better job of my next ‘pet-peeve’. The magazine does a decent job of appealing to people outside of their demographic. They definitely over-emphasize the ‘main’ story; however, they do mention a few of the other ‘bigger’ articles. Overall, I would rate this magazine a 4 out of 5, because it is a good read, but the cover could use some tweaks.

Forbes

Ultimately, I was drawn to Forbes because I knew was beneath the cover. On this trip I had a sort of ‘tunnel vision’ that made it hard to be a non-bias judge of the other magazines. My inner most interests clouded my head, and I found my attention meandered over to the ‘familiar territory’.

I think this magazine did a great job of using its ‘cover real-estate’. They have a great dimension to their text [both size and boldness] and they also introduce many articles that one will find inside. The typography, as previously mentioned, was handled very well. The photographs [which, on my example magazine does a superb job of doing] could help grab ones attention. By introducing familiar faces, a feel that it is naturally human tendency to try to figure out who they are. The colors were great. They used a perfect balance, which helped to emphasize [<em> :p] the important information. The subject matter [almost all of which is business-related] was presented just as one would expect. I, personally, feel that Forbes does a good job of trying to entice all walks of life. Although they are typically referred to as a Business magazine, they do try to entice readers by presenting interesting photographs and article titles. I think this magazine does appeal to beyond their demographic because of previously stated reason. And, because of those reasons, I will rate it a 5 out of 5.

Nick

Review Questions

2. What is interactivity?
The concept of interactivity carries two different meanings. It is understood as the ability of the user to influence communication; however, it is all the ability for the communication to change on the basis of direct input from the user.

4. What is the difference between an artist and a designer?
An artist creates a work for presentation, while a designer uses the skills of the artist to develop something of use beyond the aesthetic.

6. What are pixels?

A pixel is the smallest form of of ‘imagery’ on a computer screen. A computer screen is filled with thousands of pixel, all of which are [individually] one solid color.

My Experience

I have always been more of a developer than a designer. I began coding HTML at the age of 12, and moved from there to PHP/MySQL. I was soon progressing on to things such as JavaScript and Perl. Inwardly, however, I have always had a passion for good clean art and photography.

I think that any web developer understands that it is very hard to develop without some form of visual design. Early in my hobby, I realized that I should start focusing a little less of my time on language development and more on visual development. I used online forums and tutorial sites as my main form of learning; however, I have also used a few books from the library. I have never had a ‘fundamentals’ class on design, other than elementary and 6th grade art classes. You know, blue and yellow make green, blue and red make purple.

I have an uncle that has always been interested in photography. He now uses photography as a supplemental income to my aunt’s income. You can view some of his work at Jeff Philliippi Photography. I do not, however, believe that this is a case for any ‘genetic predisposition’, as he just recently made this his career, and nobody else in my family has expressed any other photography skills.

Natalie, my fiancée, recently received a 10MP digital camera, so my photography obsession has recently come out of its ‘closet’. I have been experimenting with lighting, shutter speeds, focus, etc, and have found myself thoroughly enjoying. I view it almost as a challenge; a challenge to find the ‘perfect’ shot [for the session]. I hope that to be able to expand my experimentation with photography throughout my senior year.

Nick