Visual Design Blog

I chose an article from August 2017 New Era, entitled Deciding to be Faithful, by Elder Enrique R. Falabella. I chose this article because of the appealing color design that stood out and the relatable photo that he picked with the ever lasting fields.

Typefaces – There are at least three different main typefaces in the article. In the title stupid copy there is a sans serif font, you can tell because is don’t have any serifs. “Faithful” is in decorative-script hybrid font. It’s the cliche calligraphy that will go out of style soon. The actual article is in oldstyle font, you can tell because of the slanted serifs.

Elements – You can tell the body of the article is oldstyle by the moderate thick to thin ratio. You an tell the “Faithful” and

Untitled-2 copy quotes are all decorative because of the common cliche theme that everyone is using now a days. You can tell that the other part of the title and sub titles and sans serif because they have no serifs with no transitions between lines showing no thick/thin ratio.

Photography – The most prominent design element in the main picture is the leading lines. The lines carry a lot os symbolism as well as weight in the photograph. The path starts out straight but ends up curving off in the distance so you can’t see the end. That simple curve makes the message more powerful because it’s a metaphor for our lives. We would be able to see the metaphor if the photo had shallow depth of field. Since the focus is open we can see everything in the photo. The picture also shows good rule of thirds. It separates the air, distance and land in three horizontal planes, one on top of another and also separate the path to be in the middle of the photo because it is the most powerful “statement” in the photograph.

Design – The first thing you notice about the article is that the design flows form page to page. The first page and the second are connected through a photograph and the third and fourth pages are connected through a title text. The page is also very boxy, separating important messages into different areas to help put focus on what you’re reading

I took three photos that could replace the photo in the magazine. I tried replicating the leading lines in the first photo, the rule of third on the second photo and the third photo to show leading lines and depth of field.

The design I’m analyzing is a Mormon Ad from the August 1998 New Era, a LDS church magazine marketed toward teenagers. I picked this certain advertisement because this is the same year and month I was born. I have changed a lot in the past 20 years, Mormon Ad’s have too. Details about the ad specifics* can be found at the bottom of the page.

neweralp.nfo_o_10d3.jpg

Contrast – The biggest contrast in the whole advertisement is between the main headings’ white font and the dark ombre background. There is not much contract between the colored boarder and the actual picture. The dark green of the board seemingly melts into the ombre gray background which barely makes the main focus, the alarm clock, stand out. The only contrast between the grayish-sliver clock and the ombre behind it is the lighting choice of the photographer. They did not go big like Mrs. William suggests to do in the text book.

contrast copy

Repetition – There is very little progressive repetition in the advertisement. The only commonality in the whole piece is the same font for the header and footer. I believe that the stand alone clock with little repetition was a stylistic choice to try have the the main focus drawn to your eye quicker, but the low contrast erases any chance of having anything pop out at you.

repetition copy

Alignment – Although center alignment is seen as amateur in the design world, this advertisement is quite dated and probably not seen as amateur at the time. I strongly believe that the center alignment was supposed to draw your eye to the word SEMINARY that replaces the number 6 at the bottom of the clock. The strength that center alignment draws from, is the way the audience reads the advertisement. From the top to bottom, the piece alludes that seminary in the middle of the picture implying a certain importance.

alignment copy

Proximity – Proximity was the only good element of this advertisement. There was enough breathing room on the sides it was not overwhelming. The picture wasn’t crowded, but a simple straight line throughout the piece.

Color – The colors are very 80’s for a late 90’s advertisement. The dark green and fiery oranges are something you would see on a chunky sweater with shoulder pads. I believe with the time period this advertisement comes from, dark grunge colors where the style and the church wanted more family friendly fun colors to represent their propaganda. The color choice is obviously out of date just like the advertisement and doesn’t draw any attention to the focal point that seminary is important, even early in the morning.

In conclusion the Mormon Ad is out of date similar to dial-up internet, slap brackets and other thing in the time period. Just because the advertisement is old does not mean we should condemn it, we should draw off of the elements to create better more timeless pieces.

*Photograph by Welden Andersen. Can be found at https://www.lds.org/new-era/1998/08/mormonad?lang=eng

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