Initial Ideas: Lookbook

Research for this brief looked into existing layouts of look-books that already exist. Other research looked into other successful fashion editorial publications such as Vogue magazine. Generally a popular and successful layout in look-books involves framing the photography with a white border. Creating a border around the photography creates a minimalist and a modern layout. This approach could be interpreted on a larger scale by increasing the width of the border. This would make the layout successful in relation to what already exists but also have a unique approach as an interpretation of what already exists. Type should be minimal or scaled and placed effectively as the main purpose of a fashion lookbook is to visually display the fashion through a showcase of photography. Most look-books also generally contain full colour photography. This inspired an approach to a black and white lookbook to visualise personal style as a designer as well as a the classic sophisticated themed photography. This approach would work well to combine the styling of a designer and a photographer.

The initial ideas for this publication focus on the production element and the different approaches to binding the publication.  Including is a double page spread with saddle-stitch staple binding appropriate or could the basic format challenged and the publication have a single or double page format bound by a tied ribbon. Although, double page spreads do meet the requirements set out by the brief as existing fashion editorial publications often include or follow the double page spread format. Feedback with identify which approach works best both visually and which format is also most appropriate for purpose. The headline typeface is called ‘vogue’ and is similar in aesthetics as to what popular publications such as Vogue and Elle currently use today. Similar more traditional typefaces such as Didot and Bodoni were initially explored as well. The combination of a script typeface alongside the ‘Vogue’ typeface works well. Due to existing publications there are often two typefaces and if not two different type weightings. This is so typefaces appear slightly different even when they aren’t.