LEARNING FROM MAGAZINES
Magazines are very similar to architectural portfolios; they both include a (1) cover page, a (2) table of contents and well, the (3) contents. These three elements, when done right, create a beautiful book! Here are a few tips to make the most of each of these elements:
1 | Cover Page:
Your portfolio might not have as much information as a magazine cover, so first, you need to decide what kind of information you want to include. Make basic decisions like: Will it have an image? If so, choose something original that represents you and your work. Besides your name, what else will you include? Make sure to write your name in a legible way, think about the overall composition and choose a good typeface.
To understand more about the design technique behind creating a magazine cover, and to get inspired when creating your portfolio, take a look at this great article by Canva.com: ‘50 Design Techniques That Made These Magazine Covers Awesome [Epic Case Studies]’ *
2 | Table of Contents
If you have a small portfolio, your table of contents will contain very simple information, but that doesn’t mean you need an all-white-layout. Play with some colors, with the layout composition and with the typeface - the design should integrate well with your cover and the rest of the book.
You can include information such as: the name of your project, the year it was designed or completed, the building’s typology, the total square footage, location, awards, team members... etc. Keep it simple, just the essential information. There's no need to say it all in the Table of Contents since you can add more details on the project’s page.
Here is another article by Canva.com to help you design the perfect Table of Contents: ‘Designing the Perfect Table of Contents: 50 Examples to Show You How’ *
Click here for more examples*: Issuu | Pinterest
3 | Contents
The most important thing is to select the images that will be included in your Portfolio. This will help you make simple decisions like: Will it be a vertical or a horizontal portfolio? What are the proportions of most of the drawings? What's the best page size to showcase them?
Magazines work with photographs, which are often ideal for full-page layouts and very minimal text, same as an architectural portfolio. Make sure your images are high quality and they contain enough information for the size you choose to show it. Be mindful of how little or how much information you include on each page.
The layout of each page is meant to help understand your work. How will you tell the story of each project?
And don’t forget…
“Less is more”
Any questions or suggestions? Leave a comment!
*these examples are only for graphic inspiration, their contents are unrelated to this website.
Article by Stefani Fachini