Rockport Publishers

Color as a Dominant Element ! 87

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Job:01118 Title: Layout Essentials (Rockport)
Text 1ST PROOF Page:87
 COLOR AS A DOMINANT ELEMENT

44. Marry Color and Typography

I n a full-color instructional book, it’s often wise to

control color so that the instructions themselves
aren’t upstaged by the other elements on the page.
However, wise color choices in a controlled palette
can make typography stand out.

Rockport Publishers Section openers have lavishly colored bleed photos. Bold typogra-
phy holds its own against the rich color.
An introductory spread follows each full-bleed photo. In contrast to
the bold sans serif of the opener, introductory material set in serif
typography drops out of the flagship color.

Project
Italian Grill

Client
HarperCollins

Design
Memo Productions, NY

Art Directors
Lisa Eaton,
Douglas Riccardi

Grids underpin a cookbook by

a chef with an outsized person-
ality. This cookbook employs
saturated, bold color and
unabashedly hefty typography. THREE BOTTOM IMAGES ON THIS PAGE AND OPPOSITE PAGE :

Each chapter, which uses a Colors vary within the palette for each section and
palette with slight variations complement the full-color photography.
on a master color, is as
handsome as the last.

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Job:01118 Title: Layout Essentials (Rockport)
Text 2nd PROOF Page:88
Rockport Publishers

Color as a Dominant Element ! 89

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Job:01118 Title: Layout Essentials (Rockport)
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 COLOR AS ORGANIZING PRINCIPLE

45. Control It with Colors

C onsistent in size and within an overall grid,

tightly plotted yet flexible color modules
can support playful variations of both text and
images, as shown in this program calendar.
Boxes and color can provide an overall system
and structure and can also control information
clearly. When listing a lot of specific details, a
grid that combines color modules can set off
dates and information from other kinds of text,
such as URLs, calls to action, or banners with the
main title of the piece.

Rockport Publishers
Project
Program calendar

Client
Smithsonian, Cooper-Hewitt,
National Design Museum

Design
Tsang Seymour Design, Inc.

Design Director
Patrick Seymour

Art Director
Laura Howell

This system for seasonal

program calendars supports a
uniform message. It also allows
dynamic variations of colors
and images.

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Job:01118 Title: Layout Essentials (Rockport)
Text 2nd PROOF Page:90
 First, define the size of your overall area, break-
ing it into equal squares. Then take into account an
overall outside margin. Use squares as single boxes,
doubled (or even tripled) horizontally or vertically,
or stacked. Paying attention to the information to be
contained, the modules can be color-coded by date,
month, price, event, or whatever is appropriate for the
project. When designing with hardworking informa-
tion, the color should communicate and enlighten
the message.
Modules also support photos and illustrations.
As with text, an image can fit into one module, two
vertical modules, two or four horizontal modules, or
four stacked modules. In short, the color boxes allow
Synopses of the lead exhibits and their dates complement exuberantly large and unfettered images on a range of variation, while maintaining control and
the reverse side of the program calendar, setting up visual tension and compression.

Rockport Publishers
integrity. To add further interest, play against the
grid of the boxes by silhouetting the occasional
image, giving further rhythm and visual space to
a lively program.
Within the structural support from a cavalcade of
colors, information can exist in its own space. Color
modules can support a readable hierarchy of informa-
tion with small type sizes, as well as larger headlines
and bolder information. Varied type sizes and weights
along with upper- and lowercase type make it easy for
the reader to scan dates, events, times, and descrip-
tions. Large headlines in the multimodule boxes add
rhythm and surprise, as well as a consistency among
similar kinds of copy, such as marketing lines, the client
or museum, calls to action, and contact information.
A double-sided project, or a project on a spread,
can also take advantage of the modular format, by
following, but also interrupting, clearly defined areas.

Varied image sizes and the occasional silhouette adhere to, but also pop out of, the framework of the
color boxes.

OPPOSITE: Months are color coded to clearly chart the passage of time. Each event has a module to itself. Color as Organizing Principle ! 91

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Job:01118 Title: Layout Essentials (Rockport)
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 COLOR AS ORGANIZING PRINCIPLE

46. Use Color in Typography for Emphasis

T oo much color can be busy and confusing.

However, the right amount of color provides
a guide to help the reader recognize priorities.
A pronounced hierarchy of headings can be easy
to follow if aided by accents in color.

Rockport Publishers
Project
Croissant magazine

Client
Croissant magazine

Designer
Seiko Baba

Illustration
Yohimi Obata

Color subtly sets off type, add-

ing clarity and zest to maga-
zine spreads. This particular
magazine is a MOOK, a special
edition published by Croissant
editors. The title is Mukashi
nagara no kurashi no chie, which
roughly means “time-honored Setting one character larger and in color calls attention to a
wisdom of living.” particular heading.

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Job:01118 Title: Layout Essentials (Rockport)
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