Our first project this semester was to re-design a brochure for a local arts promotion company.

The Facts:

• 8-panel, folding brochure (it wasn't explicitly stated that we couldn't do a stapled format)
• 4 color.
• Style of fold (barrel, gatefold, etc.) is our choice
• Panel size is 5.5" x 10.5"
• Must include 15 of the 30 acts from the original brochure.
• Must include promotional "about us" copy and ticketing information.

We weren't required to use their logo, though we were asked not to attempt to re-design it either. That's a good thing, as logo design is a real timesink and worthy of its own process, project and headache. Obviously, we should mention the name somewhere on the brochure, and if not the actual logo then at most a type treatment which is relatively non-specific.

We were given a very modest brief, which was (in essence) that the organization needed a re-design, was looking to attract new customers etc. etc. Relatively standard stuff.


At this point (which is to say, the beginning), the process kind of breaks down. I'm terrible with thumbnails, I keep terrible notes, I tend to work things out in my head. When I doodle something out, it's rarely for the purpose of fleshing out an idea–typically I'm just transcribing, so as not to forget. That said, my initial thoughts on the piece were mostly about trying to divine how I relate to world music.

Namely, I don't. I'm sure I've owned Graceland, or something off the Luaka Bop label at some point, but that's precisely it. When I think about "world music," I think of Ladysmith Black Mambazo, and that's pretty much it. And as occasionally enjoyable as that may be, it wasn't how I wanted to frame the idea.

So, of course, the thought winds up turning in that direction. I want to aim the brochure specifically at me. Conceited, maybe, but it seems to fit the idea: I'm someone who wouldn't normally go to one of their events, and could use a little convincing.

So that's it. I need to convince myself to try something new. The immediate words are of course "Explore". And I see where that goes for a while. There's plenty of interesting visual language to maps (lat/long lines in mercator projections, etc.) that I could maybe use as a structure...? Not sure. I got focused on an outer space thing for a while, and thinking about those foam-and-wire models of the solar system I used to love as a kid. Lots of graphic potential there.

Got tired of it after a short while, though, and moved back to more simple expression based on the word "Explore". There was a particular photograph from the World Music site that I kept returning to, for a group called Cirque Éloize:

It was energetic, had a restricted color palette, and a strong focal point in that red dot toward the bottom center. Additionally, the splashing made for a great, radial energy that I thought I could exploit. The fact that it features wet, athletic french women doesn't hurt either.

So there it is. In addition to thinking about the thing conceptually, I'm also looking at the mechanics of the brochure, and what that means for how you tell your story. The gatefold is of particular interest to me: in this case (8 panels total, 4 front-and-back) it creates a great sense of drama, akin to 'pulling away the curtain'.

I know now what I want to do.

Simple cover, understated. Maybe a small graphic element, unsure. Backside has about us and ticket blurbs. Inner fold is the 2nd beat, and the beginning of the message. Not sure on the wording, but something about how "World Music invites you to explore."

Here's where it gets potentially a little too clever. I'm unsure of the color use in this phase, but it should be relatively muted, as is the use of type. I'm imagining an extended sans (something in the Akzidenz line, maybe) that can be tracked out nicely. The final word in the phrase is explore, and the O is a die cut, revealing the red ball from that photo underneath. There are practical issues to consider here–specifically that a gatefold isn't going to meet perfectly at the edges, and that could spoil the reveal a bit, but I'm trying no to consider that at the moment.

So, of course, one opens the brochure to reveal a fairly frantic layout, which is dominated by the Cirque photo in the center, and then the 14 other acts around it. This is across a 4-panel spread, which gives me a reasonable amount of room (10.5" x 22") to lay things out.

Additionally, my thinking here is that the brochure now functions basically as a poster: once you've passed the front page and inner fold, that information is virtually useless. All the information you should need is in that 4-panel spread, which, if put together nicely enough is a small piece you might hang in your cubicle, look at now and again and think about things you might want to see:

At the point that I'm drawing this up, I'm thinking about relating the ancillary acts to the photo, specifically the round ball and the raindrops, thinking that the acts should be masked in overlapping circles of varying sizes to give it depth and motion. Also, I know that the accompanying text should be at angles, all essentially radiating from that center point, which should reinforce the movement in the image and give it some dynamism.

There's a logistical problem here, which is about physically getting those 15 acts (minus the large on in the center) onto the page, about how much density becomes overload, where the dividing line is etc. Also, there's a very broad range of color palette to the other photos. Not sure how explosive that can be before it falls apart. The idea is that I want to get it right up to the edge: have it be energetic and vibrant, certainly maximalist but not become noise.

I chose 2 typefaces I wanted to use in this portion: Elephant Italic (a lovely ultra-Bodoni from David Carter) and OCR-A. Type choices are pretty instinctive. At this point I know I want OCR to echo the look printed tickets, and to be something stable in comparison to the all the visual movement. Elephant is then largely for contrast against OCR and... frankly, probably a little trendy.