An Analysis of Publication Design

Here a full page image is contrasted with a two column, sparsely populated page with an abundance of white space. This avoids the double page spread looking over-complex or too busy; it gives breathing room to the layout, and allows space to focus on the figure. 

These images follow an erratic and overflowing grid which allows one image to creep onto the other page next to the text. This means that the images can be increased to amplify their effect - this is an asset considering the publication is only a relatively small B5 size. It also gives a fluidity to the layout which allows the eye to skim from left to right and almost 'read' the images before going to the text. 

Type is the primary figure here. The concept of a list has been expanded and beautified into something which is so much more. It's a list that you are compelled to read. The subtle divider lines and the bold sub-headers convince you that because the content is so uniform and organised, it'll be an easy read. The colourful image in the top right ensures there's a good balance between white space and interesting content. 

This use of white space and colour is done to ensure that the message is heard loud and clear. You can't possibly ignore the successful emphasis of 'Five', and because it's the only thing on both pages you can't help but read the whole thing. 

This page layout can be very effective - it allows the full size pages in the background to have full-bleed imagery whilst not taking away from the written content, which is displayed in a little 'booklet' within the double page spread of images. It offers the best of both worlds, but it can cause issues with pages in the book becoming bent when the publication is closed. 

This page is very impressive in that it conveys a lot of information in a relatively concise way. Tightly compacted imagery and small text references allow every single image in the issue to be sourced and cited, and yet it only covers a page and a half. Additionally, because of how compelling the page looks, you are actually enticed into taking note of it, whereas usually people give no time to resource pages.