Spread Mock-Up and Elaboration Choices

    This blog will be about the 2-page spread that I will be creating for my magazine. Included in this blog will be the final mock-up I have made with analyzation of how it is good or bad, along with the editing process and why I have chosen this mock-up compared to the others.

Final Mock-up

    This is the mock-up that my final mock-up layout is based off of:

    Edited version:

    This is the final mock-up I made for my 2-page spread, which is based off of the first mock-up. This magazine spread has a very simple yet compacted layout. The title of the spread is at the center of the left page, just above the start of text and in the main image, in complete lowercase and bolded lettering other than the starting letter of each word; this spread 's title is in a light grey color, using a simple Serif font, so as to maintain the simplicity of the rest of the article. In terms of mise-en-scene, a solid white color is used in the background of the magazine spread to draw attention to the main dish; this main dish also matches in color with the heading, blending the two perfectly (explained in my Color Theory blog). As can be seen, the very light-colored tones of the image contrast with the title. During editing, I brightened the images in order to make them stand out better, compared to the original version which looked dull. Direct address is used on the dishes in the main images, which tend to be shot in close-ups, better engaging the audience with the spread. The main dish is shown not only in the top half of the page, but a smaller version 0f the Mousse has been included as well just under the stand first. Overall, this spread contains about 3-4 main colors, contrasting the background color with the color of the main image/images and text. The text is placed into two side-columns, not thrown about the page, keeping it very organized and simple. To keep this simplicity while also adding more contrast to the page, I changed the font to Times New Roman and added a drop cap; this gives a more professional look. Lastly, the beginning of this spread includes a stand first, which provides the readers with a short introduction to the contents of the article.

Layout Comparisons

    In this section of the blog, I will be comparing the final mock-up (shown above) to the original layouts which I did not choose; I will also provide an explanation of why.

    This was the second mock-up that I had made (for a more detailed explanation of this spread visit my blog "Spread Format/Planning"). This mock-up was good in the way that images and text were formatted, however there are some areas of it that look awkward or unprofessional. For example, the pull quote in large bold letters looks very out of place in the blank space of text, as if it was thrown in to take up space. The image also looks unprofessional between the two columns because, due to formatting issues, the text cannot be placed in an even column around the photo. This creates a very messy and unorganized look, which is not fit for the organized and relaxing aesthetic of a food magazine.

    This was the third mock-up that I had made (for a more detailed explanation of this spread visit my blog "Spread Format/Planning"). This mock-up was good in the way that images and text were formatted such as the pull quote and images, however there are some areas of it that look awkward. For example, the blank space on the left page looks very unprofessional and too open, as if it is missing something. While blank space can sometimes be a good thing, in this case it looks very unprofessional. The text also looks unprofessional due to being placed in paragraphs; this causes the text to be cramped into one area and clumped together, becoming very uninviting for the reader's eyes (in short, there is too much in one area). This creates a very messy and unorganized look, which is not fit for the organized and relaxing aesthetic of a food magazine.

Conclusion

    In conclusion, I have decided to use this final mock-up because it is the most organized and aesthetically pleasing of the other mock-ups I made. The other mock-ups have disorganized or messy looks, on top of blank space and awkward areas which make for an unappealing layout. In order to draw the reader's attention to the spread, the layout must be organized but spread-out information, with bright images that give a relaxing emotion to the spread of a food magazine. Therefore, my final mock-up is the best one.