Editorial Design

I'm really interested in doing editorial design in future. Editorial design is a branch of graphic design which is specialized in the lay out and composition of the different applications such as books, magazines and newspaper. I was looking through different websites to learn more about editorial design. Book design online is a good website explaining brief information about editorial design
http://www.bookdesignonline.com

The most important part of a publication is the outer part and a designer should pay attention to the cover and all small details such as spine, flaps and etc. Many people choose a magazine base on what they see and read on the cover. For my thesis I want to design a magazine and I think I should start gather suitable typefaces that can attract my target audience. I should consider their cultural characteristics, their age and gender.
I should also pay attention to legibility of my typeface and images I intend to use. Image is another key element in editorial design and I have to consider it's function and locations i want to place them. choosing a right paper could also be important in publication design. I will definitely look through different papers with different weights, textures and colors.

THESIS ( Fashion magazines and body image)

Yesterday, I read an article by Sherry Turner about the influence of fashion magazines on the body image satisfaction. she did her research on if the depictions of women in magazines would affect women's perceptions of their own bodies. Eight magazines were used as stimulus materials. Each magazine was selected on the basis of its popularity and availability. Four magazines that had reputations for exhibiting the thin fashion ideal among women were chosen: Vogue (November, 1991), Bazaar (October, 1991), Elle (November, 1991), and Allure (November, 1991). The four news magazines used in the control condition included Time (November 4, 1991), Newsweek (October 28, 1991), U.S. News & World Report (October 28, 1991), and Business Week (November 4, 1991).

Thirty-minute appointments were scheduled for those women who expressed an interest in this study. Upon arrival, each participant was greeted by a member of the research team and given a consent form explaining that the study was designed to examine body image satisfaction among college women. After giving consent, each participant was informed that there would be a short delay, asked to leave her books and other items in the lobby, and escorted to a small room where she waited alone.

The waiting room contained three chairs and a coffee table on which four magazines were placed. For half of the participants, the waiting room contained only news magazines; for the remaining half, there were only fashion magazines. No other posters or pictures of people or reading materials were available in the waiting room. After 13 minutes, participants were escorted to a large classroom and given the questionnaire to complete. Unlimited time was given for completion.

Ten participants indicated on their questionnaire that they did not read a magazine while waiting. These students were eliminated from the data analyses. The resulting sample consisted of 18 (37%) participants in the fashion magazine condition and 21 (43%) in the news magazine condition. Their major hypothesis was that when compared to their peers who viewed news magazines, women who viewed fashion magazines prior to completing a body image satisfaction questionnaire would: (1) be less satisfied with their bodies; (2) prefer an ideal body type that is smaller, and (3) express greater preoccupation with thinness and dieting. T-tests were used to examine differences between participants in the fashion magazine and news magazine conditions. The results of this investigation demonstrate the role of the media in shaping, rather than merely reflecting, societal perceptions of the female body. Consistent with our hypothesis, it was found that women's body image satisfaction is, indeed, influenced by their exposure to the thin ideal presented in fashion magazines. Although the two groups of women in this study did not differ significantly in height or weight, those who read fashion magazines prior to completing a body image satisfaction survey desired to weigh less and perceived themselves more negatively than did those who read news magazines. Exposure to fashion magazines was related to women's greater preoccupation with being thin, dissatisfaction with their bodies, frustration about weight, and fear about deviating from the thin standard. The influence of the media on the body image satisfaction and self-perception of non-white women also deserves attention. African American, Asian American, Native American, and Latina women are often overlooked in research on this subject. Further, women of color are grossly underrepresented in fashion magazines and other types of media. Thus, the impact of the media's reinforcement of the thin and white ideal on the physical and emotional well-being of women of color should be understood.

Sherry L. Turner "The influence of fashion magazines on the body image satisfaction of college women: an exploratory analysis". Adolescence. FindArticles.com. 07 March, 2010. http://findarticles.com/p/articles

VOGUE Fashion History

Interview with an expert

Lat week I called Garry Short, a manager of planning, design and development section of Parks. I wanted to ask him few questions regarding our group project. This is my interview:

1) Are all parks accessible for everyone even those with physical disabilities?

At this time not all parks are accessible, however, new facilities and amenities are to be designed and constructed to incorporate the council approved City of Toronto Accessibility Design Guidelines

2) What kinds of methods are people using to navigate through parks? (signs, maps, etc..)

In new facilities, there are ranges of methods to navigate through parks. For many people in Toronto, the City provides an abundance of opportunities and experiences free of limitations imposed upon them by the built environment. For Torontonians with disabilities, however, the built environment imposes numerous obstacles that limit their ability to moving about freely and safely without concern. In June 2000, Toronto City Council adopted a motion to make the City fully accessible by the year 2008. They also came with policies such as:
Public Pedestrian routes should be designed to ensure the comfort and safety of all persons regardless of age or ability.

• All active routes required to accommodate persons using mobility aids, walkers, or persons accompanied by guide dogs, should be a minimum of 1500 mm wide; 1675 mm is preferred.

• All routes should be free of protruding obstacles, overhanging signs, branches
etc., in the walking area, to aid persons with visual limitations.

• The maximum allowable protrusion of objects into any pedestrian route from grade to a recommended height of 2030 mm is 100 mm.

• All accessible parking spaces should be marked with the "International Symbol of Accessibility", (e.g., with a paving sign and a post mounted sign).

• A comprehensive exterior signage and way-finding system is required at every major site or facility, to assist visitors with varying disabilities to locate appropriate parking accessible entrances.

• the street address and/or building/facility name should be clearly visible from the street or public laneway.

• Lettering size should be legible at typical viewing distances (e.g., from the road, approach route, parking area, etc.).

• Signage generally should be in bold ‘sans-serif’ lettering (e.g., Helvetica) on a highly contrasting background.

• Building addresses or identifying signage at street level, whether it is mounted in landscaped areas or on posts, should be high enough to be clearly visible even with snow piled nearby.

• Pedestrian, vehicular, and emergency routes should all be clearly identified.

• One-way routes should be clearly marked – both with paving markings and by post-mounted signs.

• The "International Symbol of Accessibility" should be used to identify special amenities, such as accessible parking, accessible entrances, or accessible washrooms.

Garry short also send us The Accessibility Design Guidelines that can be used by all sectors to conduct accessibility audits and to plan developments as we work towards making Toronto a "barrier free" community.

• All directional signage and locational signage should be mounted at eye-level, between 1370 mm and 1525 mm high, for quick and easy identification by persons who have visual limitations.

• Essential print information should generally be printed in large text on a highly contrasting background color.

3) Do all parks follow the same way finding design?

Not yet, however a Parks Standards initiative is in its early stages and is to standardize service amenities.

THESIS

Last week I was thinking about my thesis subject. I really want to do something related to fashion magazines. I decided to choose fashion and style as subject matters of my magazine. The purpose of my publication is to bring real beauty back. Fashion magazines have established themselves as one of the most powerful influences in the process of self-formation for young people. The purpose of my magazine is to go through ordinary people and show how each one of them is beautiful and unique in their own way. Our fashion magazines are so into models and celebrities that have made teenagers and women more into beauty rather than other important things. They get fashion magazines to see what celebrities did in order to look good. They all are dominated by images of young, slim and attractive females. Hopefully I can come up with more ideas so I can build a stronger concept.

High Park

I visited HighPark last tuesday to get some ideas about the way finding system at the park. I drove there but it was really hard to find a parking spot. You could only see signs for faculty parking. I was really confused and I could not find anyone there. After finding a parking spot, i took my camera and started walking around. there were no signs so i got lost and i started interviewing people. they all had the same problem. One guy told me that he has never seen other parts of the parks because of the poor wayfinding system. you have to know direcions otherwise you'll get lost.

Wayfinding design

Ron Apelt, John Crawford and Dennis Hogan published a guideline about wayfinding design. they believe that, a successful wayfinding system should provide information for users to:

• confirm they are at the correct start or finish point of an individual journey
• identify their location within a building or an external space
• reinforce they are travelling in the right direction
• orient themselves within a building or an external space
• understand the location and any potential hazards
• identify their destination on arrival
• escape safely in an emergency.

The four main categories of graphic wayfinding elements are:

• identification
• reinforcement
• orientation
• destination.

The four main criteria in wayfinding design are:

• architectural clues
• graphic communication
• audible communication
• tactile communication

“The Way finding design guidelines” by Ron Apelt, John Crawford, and Denis Hogan, is an important resource that provides practical and effective solutions to help designers do their roles in improving access to public spaces such as parks, buildings and etc for all people.