I first came across Eye of Design on ISSUU so I was pleased when this month’s Stack subscription was a physical publication of their most recent edition.
The front cover is a very successful way of drawing the viewer in. The layered cut-out eye, building the overall image over three separate pages is a playful touch that has immediate impact. This showed me that front covers do not have to explicitly state the title or have any text on at all. The bold imagery and page design is a lot more striking than any copy would in my opinion have been. Moving in to third year, playing with cut-out details from key pages could be very successful, adding another dimension to otherwise potentially flat pages.
The issue I received was based around the concept of ‘worth’. Although the design inside comes from a multitude of perspectives and therefore interpretations, they all have a unifying focus. I am thinking about a zine print outcome for level three and so this method of linking multiple contributions from different people could ensure that I do not provide just a narrow minded personal view of the topic. Having said this, with this method I would need make sure that everything flowed together so it didn’t appear disjointed; this is something that this magazine does really well.
Another element that I have taken away from the publication is the fact that they haven’t taken the topic literally. Yes they have explored worth in terms of the business of design, but they also dive into the human side of worth, for example what do we deem truly ‘good’ and worthy of our respect? How do we place value and worth on ourselves?
With regard to the latter, my personal view of my own self-worth ebbs and flows. I am currently trying hard to celebrate and share my smallest achievements – I usually focus on what I haven’t done, forgetting everything I have completed. I found myself just yesterday getting downhearted when I saw an Instagram story from someone on the course who had presented their self-promotion trials in a really interesting and tactile way. Valuing myself and appreciating that although my work is different, it does not mean it is any less successful is something I really need to get my head around before moving into third year.
Rachel
rachelfoxweb.wordpress.com 