Objective

• Application of type, design, and photoshop skill to an original magazine design cover.
• To develop an understanding of PROCESS and development of a design project.

Rob has directed you on many design skills and even walked you through his own publication cover design in project 3. Its time for you to demonstrate active application of these skills on your own design while also applying a plan and design process that allows for CREATIVE application to your own original artwork.

Remember: All Epic Design Quests require documentation of your design process on a Behance Project Page. See the Captain or reference Behance usage quests for details. 

WARNING: Upon accepting this quest you will have 2 weeks to complete the entire quest. After that deadline, the quest will be worth 50%!

To begin this project now you may click Accept.

Time remaining before Penalty goes into effect

Create your new Behance project page titled Magazine Cover Design. Now copy and paste the following as you will need to complete and correctly document these 7 steps of your design process:

1. Understand the Problem
2. Research and Investigate
3. Generate Possible Solutions
4. Select AND DEVELOP Best Solution 
5. Model and Prototype (Create)
6. Test and Evaluate
7. Produce

• Documentation of your design process on a Behance Page for a magazine cover design
• Use creative problem solving for an inspired and original solution
• Show correct technical skill application for typography and digital design
• Demonstrate your ability to design and produce an original and technical magazine cover.
• Submit final design with evaluation form for printing.

PROJECT REQUIREMENTS & INSTRUCTION

     Design Process STAGE 1: UNDERSTAND THE PROBLEM

1. Consider what the goal of a project is.

• What is your goal?
• What is the assignment?
• What does Coulson hope you gain out of this project?
  
• What will define your success or how will you know you succeeded in this project?

     Design Process STAGE 2: Research and Investigate

Always record every resource either as a cited source or a linked resource with documentation on your project page.

2. Research thoroughly

• Resource/Research Topics
  • Magazine Covers
  • Mastheads
  • Fonts
  • Your Genre
  • Ways of designing your articles into the design
• Post at least two sample magazine designs that inspire you in different ways
• Research your topic or genre you are designing your magazine about
• Research some of your competition (same genre)…that you don’t want to look like!

     Design Process STAGE 3: Generate Possible Solutions

3. Brainstorm ideas

• Brainstorm:
  • Words of inspiration
  • Genres
  • Colors 
  • Titles
  • Topic ideas
  • Possible imagery to use
  • textures
  • objects
  • Articles
• Consider symbols

4. Begin sketching thumbnail ideas for cover design composition.

• Sketch at least 3 completely different design solutions in your sketchbook.
• Thumbnail sketches should be about 4″ sketches in sketchbook
• Designs should be ORIGINAL though inspired!
  • Change the Font, Images, sizes but most importantly the idea and the layout. different topics or layouts should be the fun stuff to play around with.
• Consider possible color schemes that you might want to work with and add that in notes along the sketches

     Design Process STAGE 4: Select and Develop Best Solution

5. Select the best solution

• notate why you have chosen it
• Finalize a new detailed sketch of best solutions
• sketch the composition of entire design plan
• Detail possible color schemes

      Design Process STAGE 5: Model and Prototype (Create)

Get in there and start creating!

Shoot and collect your photos as needed but remember they should be your authentic images not images found online.

Begin building your design using your newly developed PS skills. If you want to go beyond the skills you have learned use Coulson’s expertise or suggestion for additional direction.

• Execute your Plan.

     Design Process STAGE 6: Test and Evaluate

Self-reflect on your design

• Personally evaluate your design
• Consider digital techniques that might allow you to develop your design further
• Do you need to rework some pieces or replace some imagery or fonts?
• Reflect of how your composition and concept is developing into a final product.
• How could you take it further?
• Ask others for their opinions and document the suggestions whether you agree with them or not.
• Refine or develop elements of the design that can be improved

     Design Process STAGE 7: Produce

8. Export and Turn in the final artwork for Print

• Turn file into the Coulson’s server
• Submit an evaluation for to Coulson
• Finalize your Behance Project Page with full self-reflection
  • successes
  • struggles
  • improvements
  • what you learned

Finalize your entire Behance post with the final Artowrk exported for WEB and placed at the top of the Behance project page and also posted as the cover image.

COMPLETE: You need a fully finished Behance project page included all scanned sketchbook work with captions. Turn your your finished artwork to the Captain’s Server. Finally Paste the URL to your project page below and you may then click complete.

BONUS Self Assessment Loot:

After completion of your project and project page documentation choose one of the appropriate self-assessments for yourself. Consider the skill, craftsmanship, originality, and composition of your final product:

Over The Top Nailed It Good, But… At Least I Finished It