Critique: Spring Preview

The second assignment for Advanced Magazine Design was another design competition for VOX magazine.  We had to design a cover, a splash page for the section and one inside spread.  I was having a hard time finding any inspiration or good concepts, so I decided to play with typography and have that be my focus.  Here is what I came up with:

This is the cover I turned in.  I like it but definately don't think it was a huge stretch for me to create.  After seeing what others came up, I might argue it was the most boring one of all.

These were the two splash pages I turned in.  I was working with the first one and liked it, but still thought it was a little boring, so I tried to spice it up on the second one but still keep with the typography theme.

And finally, this was the inside spread I turned in.  I was really happy with how the month turned out.  I wasn't crazy about the screen on this one, but hit a wall and decided to go with it.  Turns out the powers that be liked my inside spread as they picked it as their winner.  So this was just the beginning...

Here is a nearly finished draft of what will be in the actual VOX issue, on stands tomorrow!  To see the final, final version you will just have to grab yourself a copy.

But as you can see, I made some major revisions.  We decided to go with a brighter color palate because it would be going on newsprint so it would be subdued a little bit already and because the designer who's cover was chosen, Brittany Duncan, had gone with a much brighter theme.  Also, they killed the splash page, so I had to tie the the introduction into the design itself.  

In the end, I put a lot of hours in and have a nice portfolio piece to show for it, but I have to admit event listing features are a lot of work and not something I am looking forward to in the future.

For next week:

I am designing the Insight or front of book section for VOX this week.  It is the Afterlife/Valentine's Day issue so I have to illustrate a gift guide and a Facebook app that people use to record messages that post when they die...this is going to interesting.