My print experiments

1. Experiments
Samuel Johnson

2. Front Cover Process
For this front cover I used an array of different tools using the
Photoshop software, which were highly convenient when creating the
lettering splayed around the page, from the title to the headlining story.
The main title ‘CANNY’ (meaning intellectually bright) was simply
created by deciding upon a font and manipulating certain letters to be
bigger than others, with ‘C’, ‘N’ and ‘Y’ being left naturally bigger than
both ‘A’ and (the other) ‘N’, as I felt like it was a hip, unconventional
manner in which to abbreviate the title for the sake of appealing to
younger audiences, whom of which manage to crunch down the most
complex synonyms into simple abbreviations. Apart from these features,
I also created other aspects of this experiment using the tools on
Photoshop, such as the elongated shapes bordering the main image of
Elon Musk, as well as the broad blocks backing the text at both the top
and bottom of the canvas, which collectively add to the striking effect
this image has on consumers; especially anything with a yellow
coloration, as it gives off connotations of positivity and enlightenment of
which everyone wants to feel. Finally, onto the element of secondary
content, whereby I implemented features which were essential to the
production but couldn't’t be constructed using Photoshop alone. Such
as the headlining image of Elon Musk in his early days, when his
invention of PayPal just came to fruition, which matches perfectly
alongside the text ‘from rags to riches’, selling his creation to eBay for an
adequate sum of $1.5billon and personally receiving $165million in
assets. Other than that initial image, the barcode located in the bottom
left hand corner of the page was exported off of Google onto the canvas
seen before you, as to make the whole layout look more professional
and likened to an existing magazine.

3. Reflection
• What elements of your experiments will you
include in your final product?
The vibrancy of this experiment works towards my goal of enticing
audience members, because it always catches ones eye and the
simplicity of its design, affixes itself alongside my theory which details
how I believe that simplicity is key in modern design, especially for the
betterment of technology and works towards the user-friendly goal
manufacturers try to achieve; with apple being front runners in this
industry.

4. Double Page Process
This sharper looking double page spread consists of two images of Elon Musk surrounded by his primary entrepreneurial exploits (tesla and SPACEX)
overlapping one another to form a single flowing image. Overall I think this came out much better than my previously rendered front cover, with this
rendition looking vastly more professional and far more suited to that of Elon’s genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist lifestyle. This simply looks more like
a magazine and yet it was created using the exact same Photoshop software, starting with the images of the man in question, of which I implemented from
Google. Through merely searching for ‘portraits of Elon Musk’ I found these wonderful sketches and thought it would better suit the professional black and
white colour scheme I was trying to develop for this process of the experiment. From there I added both images to the spread and went through the process
of overlapping the two, so they would work in conjunction with one another. This was achieved using both the layer via copy feature and eraser tool, which
allowed me to crop out particular portions of either image and in turn layer over certain areas of the base image. Whereas the eraser allowed me to smooth
over a few rough edges which ruined the aesthetic tranquillity of the whole picture, with all this hassle eventually transforming two separate entities into a
singular item as seen above. From that point I added two text boxes to encapsulate both images, of which give the whole page a natural boarder and
somewhat add to the professional look of the magazine, through highly simplistic means. Leading on from that, I added bold text at both the top right and
bottom left corner of the page reading ‘ELON MUSK’ along with his signature overlapping his last name, which somewhat verifies the authenticity of the
scripture; as if Elon himself approved its publication. Finally I layered text lines over both images of Elon, leaving space for an actual article to be written,
seeing as this is merely an experiment and I dedicated more time to the design rather than burdening myself with the facts and logistics.

5. Reflection
• What elements of your experiments will you
include in your final product?
This double page spread better accentuates the genius, innovator
lifestyle Elon Musk leads, contrasting heavily with the front cover which
shows Elon in his early stages of growth. This contrasting element is one
of which I want to include in my own creation, as it allows me to write
about both the good and bad products without having to solely write
about one or the other, which in turn gives me more freedom to express
my personal opinions. On top of this, the design layout works in a way
that it looks professional, from the overlapping images to the bold text
in either corner of the screen. This adds to the enticing factor of the
magazine and I believe will keep consumers flipping on through the
pages, rather than putting it aside; therefore this is an element I would
very much like to include in my final product.