PRODUCTION

- Had to print it twice because I messed up the putting together of the magazine. Did not realise that in the printing room there is tools to use such to help with this process and so after I printed it a second time I had the teacher helped me.
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Not sure what style I should go for in this?

When producing the physical outcome of this insert magazine, two paper stocks were used, both being thin paper stock for a newspaper feel and for its cheap qualities (as an insert would have to be cheaply produced). The thinnest paper stock was  transparent while the other was non-transparent paper and had a cream tinted colour. Initially, the more transparent paper was preferred as this allowed the illustrations and type titles to come together through the pages and provide an interesting sense of texture and dimension. However, the cream tint of colour to the less transparent paper stock made the colours used in the insert deeper in saturation and therefore more vivid in a sense. 

PEER SUGGESTION AND TUTOR SUGGESTION:

colours better in cream coloured one 

Finishing touches to layout of articles

Wanting there to be just as interesting touches to the text as there is with the imagery of the magazine, I spent a little additional time playing around with body of text within this page. It was important to keep the amount of space around the article as the illustrations and large type on the left were so large and prominent on the page, and so as a way of breaking up the chunk of article text I adopted the method seen in NEST magazine by placing the word 'sorry' (another word that female readers will see and recognise as a satirical emphasis on how women are expected to say sorry all the time) half within the text and half in the space surrounding it. 

Initially I had three sorry text boxes however a peer suggested that this felt over the top and so I took it down to two, which still maintains the impact it has when you see it. Having these 'sorry' text boxes with the main article body of text also helps hierarchy of the page and therefore legibility as the reader is immediately drawn to the large type 'oooh sorry I'm late', then to the white clocks bottom right and then to the smaller text of the two 'sorry', which draws their eyes to read the article. 

After completing the magazine I tested its format by exporting it into a PDF which helped me recognise that I had not used the bleed marks correctly, as for example this pink solid block on colour on the right hand page above was too small and there was a border or white around it. I also saw that some of the artwork was covering up page numbers, and so removed these page numbers so that there would be alternating ones (something different to most magazines. It also emphasises this sense of no creative or layout restrictions or conventions and plays on the notion of new creative ideas and what feminism represents). 

TO DO:

- Animate front cover for it to go on Instagram for social media awareness of the release of the new publication:

Have the fannys simply tumbling down into the cover while the R changes to and from all the different versions I made suing the different illustrations from each article (R with clock, R with shower head etc). This way I make use of them and it would reflect the different stories within the magazine to the person who watches the animation = like a sneak peak.

- Test different stock papers, such as newsprint. 

New article spreads and further Front Cover Attempts

After recognising that I should focus on using illustrations and can adopt a variety of styles I chose an article from Reductress that would provide interesting material to create an image from 'Get It Bitch, This Woman Got In the Shower'. Wanted to diversify the layout of the illustration as I had placed most on either one page if the spread, perhaps slightly moving onto the other page but never spread across both. The successful thing about this spread and how quickly I managed to pull it together I think is due to the fact I thought about the placement of the article body text whilst producing the imagery to go alongside it. This was one of my aims of how to work when I started making the magazine as I realised it would be more successful (integration between text and image looks better) and would mean a faster process long term in producing spreads. 

It was suggested by a peer at the time that I could draw a bath for the article body text to sit in, but after starting to draw it I decided that there needed to be more white space than more imagery within the page and so left this out when digitally improving it. Instead I placed the title coming out of the shower head as the interaction between image and text and put the body text beneath it in a simple straightforward way. 

Also checked with a peer for legibility of the title I created as I could see that I had not done it in the clearest fashion, who told me it could be clearer and so I re-drew it and also made sure the style was consistent across all the words (eg. shower was too structured and the letters needed to be more rotated and playful, which was chosen to reflect the ridiculousness of the article's topic). 

Had some problems with image tracing the image with the low quality photos I took of it: Need to make sure I spend the little extra effort getting a good photo so that I don't spent extra time having to retake it and sending it to myself. 

For a professional magazine insert I needed to produce a contents page and wanted to have another spread which would present the various workshops the website offers as a way of financial support for the insert, which would include a QR code for people to easily scan and reach the website from - a direct link between the online and physical publication. As the insert already has a lot of illustrations inside I felt that these pages could rely simply on the paint marks used across the spreads and should incorporate some doodle lines to bring it back to this style inspired by Steve Hockett, which would heighten the satirical element to these pages. 

At first I simply placed the QR code in black and white on the design but realised that for it to look more integrated into the design I should spend the time image tracing it and making it the same colour as the paint mark I wanted to use to develop into these content and workshop spreads. 

I wanted lots of colour and texture within these spreads and so produced two different page forms, one in which the form and colour filled up one page and one where there would be white space for me to place text. After creating these I decided that like the way I have repeated illustrations across article spreads in different ways, I could use these simply with different colours and reflect them to be on different pages for the content spread at the start of the insert and for the workshop spread at the end of the insert. This would bring the insert together from start to finish. 

Had some trouble laying out the contents page as I wanted to have the text curve within the rounded rectangular form, however with the workshops being listed in a very fragmented way with the place, what event, whether it was sold out or a website link to book it, it did not fit well using this method and the rag looked awkward. I found that centralising the text solved the problem and the process of making sure the text curved within the form was not lost as the text is still moved slightly within the boundaries to look more clean. Having it in such a oblong form also reflects the satirical tone that should be associated with the idea of doing these comedy writing workshops and brings a playful, fun quality into it, which would encourage the reader to sign up and go. 

I did the opposite on the Contents page and had the text in white on the solid colour form page for some variety. This also meant having a lot of white space on the opposing page but I feel this works well for balance with all of the different textures and lines within the artwork of the spread. Initially for the contents page I also wanted the text to fit round within the form for the text and image to integrate, however with peer suggestion that sometimes it is best to have it simply centred in justified text I changed it. 


Spent some more time on the front cover after finishing the main body of illustrations and spread layout for the magazine content. 

Played around with using simple the R logo on the front in large to see if I could produce any appropriate outcomes following the principle of simple is best. Created some quick forms which have been altered and added to using the paint marks I used throughout the magazine which I placed behind the the R and throughout the front cover, and while these worked with the aesthetic of the magazine there was still a satirical element missing. 

When making various outcomes using paint marks and various forms I looked back at the research I did on Steve Hockett for this doodle style to apply which has a very satirical feel to it, but it still did not feel very reflective of the content inside and so decided to do what I planned the other day on taking elements from each article illustration and integrating them somehow into the cover. 

Following tutor feedback near the start of the brief surrounding this idea of using the eye in the R letterform as a dynamic form which could be used to reflect the main article of the issue, I created these four different logo adaptions. These are most definitely the most successful for the front cover idea yet, but when placing these into a format for the front cover I could not find an interesting structure that would reflect satire as much as the doodle idea above does (which is still a limited amount). 

With the red black theme again as well it gives off too much of a Labour feel which will put some people off it, but I thought I would try it within this new cover design idea as it does reflect the main colour of the website. It was suggested to me by a peer that I could try and create a border of the themed R's and place the Reductress logo R at the centre as the first attempt feels too busy. This different in sizes between the R's will create a sense of balance. However this border idea feels too contained and does not reflect the sense of freedom a feminist magazine should present. 

Recognised the colour red would not work well in most formats and decided that with the abstracted flower there would still be a consistency between the website and the publication even if I changed the colour scheme and so played around with the turquoise colour I have used across the magazine in the workshop and shower article spreads, which I decided for the final design would be appropriate as it subverts what the reader would expect of a feminist magazine (which tend to employ pink or red colour schemes) and therefore links back to this notion that this magazine is not just a feminist magazine but a satirical feminist magazine. 

After failing to produce any front cover ideas I was happy with I decided that I could use the same idea from the contents and workshops spreads where I use an abstract oblong form of solid colour or an outline and then integrate the different illustrations from each article spread into this form in a fun and playful way without having to involve the R I designed, which I felt was restricting the design. However as soon as I started to lay it out I knew this wasn't the aesthetic I wanted for the overall magazine. 

Although it is satirical as it uses a variety of funny images, it would be difficult to involve more textures within the cover with the extent of detail within the drawings without there being a lack of balance between those elements and space. I wanted the cover to be filled with some kind of form, image or text for a big impactful message as soon as the reader comes across the insert in the magazine they are reading. 

As another idea instead of using these different R's to show what the inside content is, I would use one article illustration alongside a paint texture. I chose the fanny article as this would catch your eye as a front cover and as it is so conspicuously something feminist and funny, particularly with the different representations I have drawn them as. To keep the cover balanced with all of the detail coming from the fanny illustrations, I ensured that there was a large solid colour area in which the R logo with the developed Reductress flower could be placed. I spent a lot of time pulling out the solid colour area further across the page for this reason. 

- Paint texture with the chosen colour looks like it could be rushing water (which any woman will recognise as a funny play on this idea of someone eating them out) 

- The fact the paint texture has also been altered digitally in integration with the form I produced makes the cover resonate with the fact it originated from a website, an online space

- As I made some of the fannys half hide behind the paint texture it heightens the satirical aspect of it more 

Peer suggestions were to make the fanny illustrations the same colour as the cover so that the cover becomes more of a cohesive unit, which greatly improved the piece. It also inspired me to have the back cover continue this image with the fannys moving over to the back cover and for the paint texture turquoise form to go down and up around the back cover too. 

For there to be minimal text on the cover I placed the name Reductress and ISSUE 1 simply on the top right hand side down vertically. This gives it a clean finish and still provides the information necessary. Kept the type the same as I had been using within the magazine of Basic sans, which I downloaded on Type kit as it reflects the satirical tone of the articles with its smooth and rounded letterforms rather than a sharp edged and traditional serif font which was suggested to me to use for the article body text for legibility. I decided not to do this additionally as the magazine is about breaking creative boundaries (in reflection of other independent magazines in competition against the digital world), and exploring the use of new modern readable fonts comes under this aim. 

Development on Reductress

Working on feedback improvements:

Reorganised the existing pages (ooh sorry I'm late and eating me out is a marathon articles) onto more spreads to create space and therefore create more balance between the text and images and to ensure greater legibility and clear hierarchy, which was a problem with the initial designs. 

I used this method across the development of the magazine when I felt there might be too much going on in the spreads between the titles and illustrations: Moving the title to its own spread, made large and beside a few smaller illustrations from the following spread. I reuse elements from the main illustration in a way that it does not ruin the reader's appreciation for and interest in it when they see it alongside the article, but in a way that intrigues them to turn the page, like little nuggets of images. Having the text larger lets me play around with how I can use the type to convey the tone and theme of the article, this also means an interesting super graphics page that is not only pleasing to look at but it also links to this notion of independent published magazines pushing the creative boundaries and producing aesthetically pleasing designs in competition of the digital world. It is unlikely that decades ago simple spread involving super graphic type and small illustrations would have been in a magazine, but due to the booming world of small creative independent magazines and hand crafted publications such as zines this type of aesthetic is being seen more and more and so adopting this new method of no restrictions within the magazine structure means my product will successfully reflect the new direction of editorial design and publications. 

After initially developing the illustrations on Adobe Illustrator and then placing text into it as well I realised to ensure the outcome would be to a professional standard I needed to produce only the imagery on Illustrator and then place this into InDesign. This definitely improved the placements of texts and headlines as I could see through using the bleed lines and page edges how to appropriately apply them to the spreads. The guide lines on the page within InDesign also proved really helpful. 

When moving on to create more spreads for the outcome I came to a halt and spent time on thinking how I could present the article '4 Emojis to Wordlessly Respond with When the Conversations Spins Out of your Control.' Thinking about how the website uses terrible tacky stock images to illustrate its articles I felt for one of the pieces rather than focus purely on using paint marks, doodles and ink/pen illustrations I could follow this direction and simply manipulate digitally the emojis they picture on their website. I image traced them and played around with the number of colours traced within the emoji but found that they felt too basic and boring. 

Decided that for the insert magazine to keep this handcrafted, creative and professional aesthetic and feel it should continue the use of illustrations and paint markings/doodles for the overall outcome to feel consistent throughout. Although it may feel inconsistent with the online website version, the aim was to rebrand it completely with a new aesthetic to appeal to younger audiences and to reflect how independent published magazines are using new and creative methods to catch people's attention. Therefore having half the magazine one aesthetic and the other a different tacky stock photo aesthetic would not make a successful publication, particularly as the publication would need to gain loyalty from readers who appreciate and enjoy the aesthetic for further issues to be published; with two very contrasting aesthetics this would be unsuccessful. 

Produced some simple emoji illustrations that are inspired by the original ones pictured on the website but kept it monochrome and with less detail. For additional detail on the page this was reserved for the various ink marks I incorporated on previous spread designs which I think will be used across the insert as it creates nice texture and would bring together all the pages into one aesthetic. 

Made sure that I was not refining the emoji illustrations too much as this handcrafted aesthetic of unfinished lines and overlapping lines where they would not be on the actual phone emoji is the direction of the magazine. Also prevented myself adding too much detail as simple is best!

After producing the illustrations and placing them into Illustrator I realised I needed more material to fill up the spread if I were to divide the small article into two spreads (more space on each page = better balanced appearance). Produced some quick type with text related to the article with ink. Throughout the magazine I want to try and create lots of different text styles as through my research I have found that a lot of independent publications/zines adopt this method to create a hand-crafted human feel. It also just makes it more interesting. Using a square brush means the variety of type styles I can produce depending on how I hold the brush is extensive, but I do need to be careful that when I restrict myself to using it in a specific way to create a new type that the letterforms are still legible 

= eg. the E in 'END' above was illegible once I placed it into Illustrator and so I had to copy and paste the E from 'PLEASE' instead. 

As I wanted to use these illustrations on two spreads I found a way to make them look different and still interesting for the first spread would be to colour them in some way and integrate them into another form, which I decided could be a paint stroke seeing as they are to be used across the magazine. This page feels slightly too digital for me but I think it works as an additional style within the publication whilst still within the boundaries of looking consistent with the overall aesthetic. I want to have these different styles within the overall aesthetic as similar to how independent magazines/zines use a variety of type they also commonly use different illustrators, graphic designs and so on to produce work for different articles. Doing this also links in with how feminist should be presented - a variety of styles to represent how feminism is about breaking boundaries and freedom. 

Once I laid out the imagery of the page I wanted to have the title curving around the main form as the words 'Spins Out of Your Control' in the title made me think the tone of the article should be presented in a free flowing, uncontrolled way. However with the type being hand written with a pen for a hand crafted feel this layout felt messy and unprofessional. I had also made the first words smaller and the last largest as this emphasised the 'out of control' sense of the title, however this contributed to the problem. 

The first step I did was simplify its presentation and make all the words the same size and placed into a simple box format on the bottom right, as with the weight of the illustration/imagery of the page placing the text at the top felt unbalanced. Once I saw how the 'Of Your' in the title stuck out in an odd way I placed the word 'control' larger and within this space between the 'of your' and edge of the page. This meant the 'control' would still be the biggest element for hierarchy (it's like a satirical focus on how society views women as always needing control or they get stressed) and would balance out the chunk of the title. I also changed the type used for 'control' from the original hand written pen version to one using a more sparse amount of ink. This bold, paint textured version reflects the tone of 'control' better, fits with the paint aesthetic and uses the principle of mixing types. 

Could also see through the cowboy emoji that the image had been stretched out of proportion and so I made sure I fixed that. 

Wanted to then put some focus on the layout of body text within the next spread for this article after looking at the magazine NEST by the university, as I realised I was spending too much time on the imagery of the insert and needed to put more time into the text placement. 

Inspired by how NEST places text boxes of quotes and smaller pieces of additional information half within the main body of text and half outside of it, I spent a lot of time trying to make this work for this spread. The difficulties were in the fact that there was not a lot of the article itself, which meant less text for the new text box to integrate into (needed to be surrounded by text so you can see a clear rectangle around the extra quote) and that the article was divided up into small sections under the different emoji headings which again meant more white space that could make the additional added in text look out of place. 

I had to play around with kerning of the letters within this spread particularly with the 'Framed Picture Emoji' as it was within a space that was too small for the three words in the titles to fit, but close kerning the letters for them to fit did not look professional. After moving the article around so that the framed person emoji paragraph was above and the tooth emoji below everything fit into the spaces much better. Although this does not reflect the article online, I think for a printed publication these small changes can be made without it altering the reader's perception of the website and overall content. 

Upon reflection it may have to just been easier and made more sense if I had simply divided the different emoji paragraphs across the double spread, however the challenge of making this additional pulled out quote work alongside the main body of text was interesting and I think the overall aesthetic of the page is more dynamic with the amount of white space than if I had done the alternative. It also reflects again how independent magazines/zines are using new creative methods, which this text layout could be interpreted as. 

 Spent some time working on the front cover after the crit with the UMERUMER cover I made quickly for the crit but again have come to a standstill on this:

- Suggested to me to use the block flower logo I created 
- Cant seem to apply it in an interesting way 
- Most difficult part is reflecting the satirical aspect of the magazine whilst maintaining a creative and professional aesthetic 
- Played around with incorporating a large title but I feel if the magazine is predominantly illustrations and a paint aesthetic then this should be reflected on the front cover

- Leave front cover to end to use elements out of each article spreads for the front cover?

Final design idea

Doodle Idea Design Development

Wanted to try and create a whole new aesthetic for the insert and thought about how I could use these 3D objects and digital manipulation with hand written text. Ended up creating simple drawn ideas straight on Photoshop and abandoning the 3D objects as this kept it more hand crafting and more tacky, similar to Steve Hockett. 

Drawing straight onto Photoshop however did not produce the best results and therefore I decided to produce the elements on paper with paint and ink and pens and to then put these through the programs to play around with layout and colour. Quickly created simple shapes and symbols that relate to the theme of the articles from Reductress I was looking at and these translated really well onto the screen alongside the text I made. Simple = best. 

Following this principle of simple symbols and a range of text made by hand, I put together two spreads of the insert. They have the illustrative and graphic mixed approach that I wanted to produce but fitting the text around these elements was a challenge. I did not spend much time on ensuring the text was very readable as I wanted to get the layout and aesthetic of the zine right for the crit, but for future spreads I need to pay more attention to kerning and the placement of the text. 

Feedback on developments:



Simon 

• Newsprint means you have to compromise in your designs: more simple, less colour 
• Energetic, dynamic: not simple black and white modern product
• Small, A6 publication for an insert. Smaller means vibrant colours can be used 
• Doesn't have to be glossy paper, just white 

Pat 

• Elements from the illustrations and paint texture around them to be put on all the pages for consistency and for texture and dimension. 
• Maybe just a block of text for the article on every page? Keep it simple?

Developments and creation of prototype:

Following the feedback I put bits of texture on each page taken from the painted elements scanned in and image traced which brought the designs together and created dimension on the page. I also really quickly made a front cover as I felt it was difficult to bring together the elements from every page into one design in a way that it would be consistent, and so keeping it simple I used the type from the main article 'UM' and 'ER' and repeated this in an interesting pattern. It has a slight reference to the tone of the article with the words and lack of rigid structure in the placing of the pattern, but is not the outcome  want to use for the end product, as it does not shout satirical nor feminist, important things to show. It also does not evoke a doodle style that I want, inspired by Steve Hockett, and doesn't involve any of the logo developments I designed nor the important symbol of the flower, so this will have to be redesigned. 

Group Crit 

- The body copy could be more interesting, perhaps the type could be slightly off to present how feminism is something that interrupts the norm. 

- Look at Fraser Muggerigde = Mega-Font 

- Like the flower symbol made out of rectangles and blocks. This could be used for front cover when changing it from the UMER idea. It is similar enough to the flower in the logo of Reductress that people could recognise it but it gives a modern abstract twist. 

- Think about adding in different coloured paper: 

1. Perhaps there is a piece of pink paper on the outside of the centre page = divided and seems less intentional 

2. Or maybe it's at the centre and it's something the reader can rip out into a mini poster. Perhaps a link to the blog such as the wesbite's URL or a large QR code. 

Problems with Prototype: 

- Need to remember how to put together a booklet form as the pages can get confusing

- Did not bind the mini magazine in a particularly interesting way (just glued it together quickly for crit) and so need to consider this for the future final outcome 

FEEDBACK ON PROTOTYPE 

Ben

• Needs more white space - elements are too closed together and its difficult for the reader to know where to look, hierarchy is not simple enough 
• Reduce text sizes (to readable size) and condense text into one column on some pages so there is space between the text and illustrations 
• Text could also be broken up around the illustrations (play around with rag) 
• Paper stock: 1. same colours used in magazine but different colour stock, would mean the colours change depending on paper, would be cheaper if it was lithograph printed 2. newsprint!! 3. Thinner paper so that each design bleeds through to show through on other sides?
• Could fake how the photocopier messes up alignments of images and text to create a more informal and playful aesthetic 
• Serif type needs to be used for article text for legibility and ease of reading it 

Logo Development + New design aesthetic idea

Set about trying to develop the logo of Reductress into something that has a more contemporary aesthetic and will therefore appeal to younger ages to encourage more people to read about and get involved with feminism and feminist publications. I wanted to create a logo which reflects the satirical tone of the articles without having to rely on the scripted, flowery, 'girly' type style, which is an obvious dig at the stereotypes towards women and what they would enjoy in reading and looking at. 

I found that Reductress has an additional shorter logo version with the R and a miniature version of the flower alongside it: 'R*', and decided to look at recreating this. Using ink and a square paintbrush to produce results that are bold with thick lines, I looked at mostly making sans serif letterforms as this has a more modern feel, and to how I could take the characteristics of the original 'R' logo letterform and only slightly change them so that it would keep some design consistency between the print and the online blog. 

Looked at the negative space forms that make up the style of the scripted R and also how it has an upturned leg and involves a very smooth rounded bowl and a dynamic almond shaped eye. There is also a variety of line weights within the letterform. 

I looked at subverting the line weights into a letterform which feels heavier and more dense, to take away this scripted aesthetic. Additionally I took away the negative space between the ascender and bowl and which gave it a more contemporary aesthetic, making it bolder and less detailed. 

I found that the R's I made that used more rounded forms and less details were more successful in being suitable in conveying satire, as it's fun, playful and not as serious as those which involve serifs and follow the more conventional line weights and proportions of the letterform R. 

Found that simple is best again and again throughout this process, first when attempting to create a new R: traced over the original and established lines across the letterform from where two lines meet on the letterform (eg. between the stem and bowl at the top), from which the new letterform could not cross. The result was an odd 'R' which could have been developed but I realised the process it was created from had no relevance to the concept of feminism nor satire. 

When trying to recreate the flower symbol to be less conventional I looked at reflecting the bold thick line aesthetic of the 'R's I had created in the flower symbol by forming the petals out of rectangles and triangular tipped rectangles and so on. I did it in an abstract free hand manner so that they would reflect a human quality (an important element of feminist publications and the aesthetic of zines). When I felt these weren't working I also looked at recreating the flower in the more typical way, with the petals looking realistic. I also played with forgetting using bold thick lines and instead did the opposite, creating a 'flower' which is made up of open ended triangle outlines and one triangle outline. This is to reflect how this publication 'fills you in' with information, articles, funny perspectives etc, and also how feminism is one important pillar of society. 

Once I realised that perhaps I was not playing around with the R* as creatively as I could be, I stopped just playing around with the R and flower symbol separately and thinking I would simply put them next to each other like the original logo does, and started to play around with developing both parts together. I found that picking the best one of each (flower and R) and then placing them together was not a good method as both could have very different styles and not work together. Once I found an easy way of putting them together by having the flower as the eye of the R, I started to work on the ideas I had digitally as it was difficult to see the logos in a positive light when they did not have the professional finish or quality they needed as a result of being made from ink. 

Looked at which symbol looked best in this R and variations on where the eye should be placed (right and left sided looked interesting but most peers preferred the central one for simplicity). 

Decided on this one as the flower has substance in its concept and the R is rounded, playful and gives of a sense of satire. Then started to playing around with colours, layout and the use of different materials, eg. using the collage materials in a layer beneath this R. 

I looked at creating patterns using this logo that could be appropriate for a front cover and how I could lay out the logo in different ways and how these would emphasise the satirical element to the magazine. I found putting them in a less structured way such as upside down or tilted to the side and repeated was one way of doing this, however the tutor pointed out that one of these was less satirical than the original zoomed in super large R simply put on the page, so these different perspectives is something I need to think about. I also looked at adding texture in with the use of bitmapping but found this took away the bold quality of the logo and made it feel slightly more serious. 

Although I was still playing around with the red white and black colour scheme taken from the blog, it gives too much of a Labour magazine aesthetic or a tabloid feel, which can put people off from wanting to read it and understand what it's about: There needs to be more white than red if I am to choose this scheme. 

After recognising this I decided to add in more colours to these designs which helped to improve the aesthetic to be more playful. 

TUTOR FEEDBACK:

- What do my audience look at? The Guardian? How can I put a similar aesthetic into my publication

- What are the ways I can keep it cheap? List workshops they offer inside in various cities they are held = Reductress' way of making money. 

- Keep it as an insert to increase audience and keep it cheap 

- Think of the paper stock = off-white newsprint type for a professional and real feel to the insert 

- Instead of this polished design aesthetic why not produce a publication that involves the shitty stock photos that the website Reductress uses with scribbles on top and crappy writing inside: More appropriate way to show satirical 

- More NAFF, terrible drawings and text

- Could put in QR code to take the reader to the blog = ways of connecting the physical print with the online version: Have a customised mouse icon you would have on the computer dotted around the page, eg. a mouse icon as a hand with a middle finger up as the pointer

TO LOOK AT:

- Rough Trade Magazine 

- Steve Hockett 

- Moonsick Gang  

ROUGH TRADE MAGAZINE 

Even though I find some of the editorial layout of this zine a bit too tacky and made to be in your face a bit, I can see why it was suggested to look at as it has this purposefully DIY aesthetic and a less serious more hand made feel to it that would work well with the satirical tone of Reductress. The text layout in some pages I think needs work (eg kerning in the page above) but that is the chosen aesthetic the designers wanted. I would take inspiration from the way they use different type, type layout and type sizes to create interesting differences between each page, but the overall lack of polish on the zine is not something I would want to copy as my insert is towards an audience of the ages 20-28 who would want something that feels more professional. 

STEVE HOCKETT

MOONSICK GANG

The doodle style of Hockett with his use of lots of white space, and a mixture of textures from paint and pen alongside the playful unrestricted style of Moonsick Gang are two ways of working and aesthetics that I would like to take forward. The styles of the two designers are appropriate for a satirical playful feminist magazine and I would use elements from both styles alongside other focusses I have found through feminist zines and magazines (such as large use of different type styles) to produce another idea.

Was suggested by the tutor that the 'R' logo I have created could be adaptable with different covers like the Moonsick Gang have created for the Identity system of Masaki Komoto: If the main article in the insert is about food for example could the eye of the 'R' be an illustrated piece of food?