Ground & Figure

Ground & Figure

Ground and figure is the relationship between background and content/ foreground. Most commonly show as the background or white space of a page being the ground and the figure being a form, silhouette or a shape. Thinking about composition and apreciation of space and how type and image fits on a page we have been asked to analyse two magazines and see how they compare concidering target market and content.

 This small university magazine NEST the layout is very simple and there is a large amount of white space throughout the magazine and each image is left to really breath. There is great consistency between each double page the text and images seem to really correspond with eachother simular layouts of line and shape and margins that line up allow the magazine to flow from page to page. 

The content of the pages seems to vary throughout the magazine and when the subject is a little more fast paced and enticing the design reflects this. This is shown with the black backgounded Tokyo in Transition double page has lots of images and feels much more direct and intense. The target market is mainly students being a student magazine yet many designers and other creatives aswell. This is reflected in the attention to detail within the design.

Mundial  magazine is a alternative footballing magazine with a creative twist. The design is not typical to the target market it takes a much more backseat approch to the design and the spacing and layout is simplictic and clear. This is very different to something like FourFourTwo that is very infomation hevy. Due to the size of the magazine the design is a little restricted yet the spacing trys to be as simple and clear as possible. Like the Nest magazine the layout of spreads coraspond with eachother very well and let the magazine flow. The contrast between the double page spread at the top in terms of the two images, how one is very dark and forboading and the other is more simple and has alot more white space around it. This creates a great contrast and the use of text creates uncertainty as to what is the ground and what is the figure. The use of a picture on one side and then a passage of writing on the other with alot of space around it is a very common design within this work.