As part of the design for print brief, I have started to think about designing a look book about polka dots in contemporary fashion. I have started to research into existing look book designs and zines to gain inspiration and an understanding of how they work. I am wanting to create a look book that is simple and communicates a clear message about polka dots.
These were look book designs to promote Hip Hop icons. I particularly liked this one because of the layout of type and imagery. They have used the two in harmony to create interesting compositions. I am going to be using InDesign to create my look book, so it is important to look at as many different types of layouts and designs as possible. With this book aswell, they have kept a visual consistency with colour and a particular style of type. The colours and type used reflect on the subject matter which help to visually communicate the message of the book. By carefully selecting the colour and typefaces, it makes it clearer to understand.
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I looked at this design because of the way it was packaged and how there was a visual consistency between the book and the packaging it came in. The packaging became part of the book and vise verser. The packaging held the book inside a 'book' style packaging (as seen in the picture). This would be a good way to use the packaging as it would give you the chance to add other elements that would tie the book and packaging together.
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These caught my eye because the front covers are very simple (and they have circles on them). I want my look book to have a very simplistic layout and design to it, as the polka dot patterns themselves will make the pages seem busy. Also if the design is kept simple it will reflect on the polka dot pattern and its simplistic elements.
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This is a really lovely piece of design. The front cover has been diecut and the page underneath is reveresed out. This is an element I can use within my own look book. I also like the contents page which has a very simple layout. There will be text within my look book, but it will mostly contain imagery and illustration/ vector images. When I do use text I want it to be creatively laid out.
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This caught my eye because of the layout of the image, type and vector shapes. They work really well together, and although the layout design is slightly more complex, the colours keep it simple and visually consistent. I also like the use of semi and full circles and how the type overlays these. Again this is something I could do within my own designs.
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This is a look book that has used imagery only, I wanted to see what it looked like and if it would work well. Obviously it all depends on the content, but this layout seems to work very well. I will be using photographs of polka dot clothing in contemporary fashion, so this will allow me to gain inspiration from pure imagery books and how they communicate a message without words.
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I also found this really cool zine on the Behance website. The 'obvious' pages have illustrations on them, but each one then has perferations which open up to more pages with text and explanations of the illustrations. It is a really creative way of adding depth and interaction to a piece of design. It allows the audience to discover new parts of the book on their own accord, which gives them a sense of control. I also like how they have printed on red stock and just using black for the text and illustrations.
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This design caught my eye because of its simplistic design and use of geometric shapes. They have used lines to define the shape on the front cover without actually using the shape, it is then used on the back cover too. It would be interesting to use elements of stripes within my look book, as spots vs stripes have also been a big concept within fashion.
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This look book is of higher quality than most of the above examples. It uses a hard back cover and embossing. The front cover has a very lovely feel to it, they have only used the embossment to define the title, which leaves it very subtle. I really like the use of space within the pages as they have filled each one carefully. The first dps is just a pattern but it works really well without text. The second dps uses text but it blends in with the imagery, and the planet shapes blend in with the background to make the whole dps feel as one.
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This is another example of creative use of layout and page format. This uses folds and pop ups to add depth and interest to its design. It makes good use of space and format, it allows the designer to use larger formats that fold down to a consistent size. This would be a good way to incorporate poster designs into the smaller look book format (which could also use perferation elements from one of the previous design examples).
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This design uses the wrap around as a seperate folded out poster, which again allows the designer to add another format without them being two seperate things. This design also uses embossing on the front cover, which has been kept the same colour as the stock. I like how the design works as one piece together or two seperate designs.
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