(2) Research content, Layout and style of a magazine: Design Indaba

For this section I will be reviewing and analysing a South African design magazine -looking at its content, layout and style. I will comment on the layout, type, content,style,genre and target market associated with this magazine. The magazine in question will be the Design Indaba magazine. I will look at the overall look of several issues focusing on one or two. 

Design indaba magazine is a quarterly magazine dedicated to showcasing professional visual communication in South Africa. "It deals with issues affecting us on all the frontlines where design meets advertising – whether professional or marginal, kitsch or refined, dull or quick-witted, we swoop down on it and publish it in all its blazing technicolour glory." (http://www.designindaba.com/profiles/enjin).Design indaba is a space for creative professionals in design, advertising, photography and other creative fields – a kind of industry boardroom showcasing the best new work and latest trends in advertising, graphic design, illustration, digital media, photography and illustration. This might seem as though Design Indaba magazine is typical of many design magazines around the globe, however what makes DIM different from others is their approach to showcasing design, and their intended outcome. DIM stems from the Design Indaba expo, the magazine acts as a platform for showcasing designs made by artists around South Africa ultimately for the single purpose of highlighting the expo and the Design Indaba event. "Offering an inclusive view of design, it features disciplines from fashion, architecture and animation to product, interior, industrial and jewellery design." (http://www.designindaba.com/about/do-tank/design-indaba-magazine). The foundational purpose of DIM was to spread the impact of the Design INdaba expo and International Conference -  The magazine would act as a platform to reach those that could not attend and would reinforce the ideals of the design community. For more info: http://www.designindaba.com/about/do-tank/design-indaba-magazine

Layout

Page layout is the process of composing text, image and negative space on the page to produce a balanced, and harmonious visual impact that would allow for a collaboration of the author of the text, the artist of the design and the reader to construct collectively a meaning and a message for the text. No text has a single meaning or a unique message, and different designs create different meanings and different messages for the same text. (http://guity-novin.blogspot.com/2012/04/modern-newspaper-magazine-layouts.html)

Like many modern design magazines, DIM focuses on a neat clean spread drawing focus on the featured piece.

http://www.mtnblog.co.za/tag/design-indaba/

 However there are obvious exceptions to this rule -  The layout is primarily inspired and revolves around the current issue in question, eg: if the issue is highlighting Nascent designers, then the layout, and style of that particular issue will make reference to that style by setting up the layout in a style that compliments it.

http://designtaxi.com/article.php?article_id=100490

Layout design is more than just design it is visual communication. Because DIM focuses on promoting a particular area of design and promoting the brand that this particular area of design is associated with, the magazine issues and their covers have VERY different looks and styles to them. The magazine covers primarily and their layouts are all vastly different and portray a different area of design or rather portray a featured area of design. HOWEVER there is a clear consistency in the layout and placement of the title and relevant information pertaining to that issue. The title "Design Indaba" can always be found along the top of the issue  - the imagery however changes and the colour scheme of the font (which doesnt change) changes to suit or match the main imagery found on the cover.

http://www.designindaba.com/news/design-indaba-magazine-keeps-it-young

http://www.designindaba.com/news/design-indaba-magazine-goes-afrolectric

http://www.designindaba.com/news/design-indaba-magazine-keeps-it-young

http://blog.babazeka.com/?paged=46

Type

An enormous range of fonts and typefaces make appearances in the DIM. All types of fonts communicating different ideas and messages, can be found within the magazine. 

http://www.janaandkoos.com/blog/?p=558

http://www.designindaba.com/news/design-indaba-magazine-gets-lusty

http://www.studiomuti.co.za/22764/458480/typography/design-indaba
http://reneerossouw.wordpress.com/2011/03/14/titbit-in-design-indaba-magazine-first-quarter-2011/

However the wide range of fonts and typefaces that accompany the score of featured designs within DIM relate directly to the design or style that is being featured in that issue - ie: the typeface choice is meant to improve the effect of the design or not take attention away from the design unless of course the font choice is part of the design itself. There is in every issue a clear sign of consistency -  the fact that DIM showcases a number of designs and design platforms means they need to avoid the obvious trap of inconsistency in terms of type - The type remains consistent from cover to cover, the front cover makes use of the same typeface regardless of the imagery, the contents page along with the type found within the body of the magazine remain consistent and don't change in style or typeface. The magazine itself then becomes a design.

Content 

Brand the Beloved Country.

I'll repeat that. BRAND the Beloved Country. 

Taking its lead from its community, the second issue of Design Indabamagazine continues to push for engaged creativity.

Today’s world is virtual and runs on real time. So where do the slow-making, culturally sensitive, hand-touched qualities of craft fit into today’s market?

Just some of the directions that DIM has taken to feature in previous issues. DIM has made a statement that all forms of design deserve as much coverage as the next. The content that is displayed in DIM is vast and varied -  they limit themselves to nothing and boldly feature designs and artivles that cover a range of explicit messages and media.

The 'Wonderlust:SNL' issue of Design Indaba turns out to have quite an emphasis on the lust, not that it doesn't equally leave us looking on in wonder at times. Female sexuality in particular is rampant in this issue.

DIM is an excellent magazine for the up and coming designer, the everday designer and the well established designer -  The magazine offers valuable insights and suggestions that designers can put to use in the business and creative ends of their work.

Design Indaba is the lauded South African design magazine that, through political will or the simple lack of a choice under the unforgiving African sun, is committed to the ideology that a better world is possible through creativity. Highlighting design and creative industries – the odd bit of art and music being part of the offer- it is one of the leading examples demonstrating that political clarity and good design values can still go hand-in-hand.