For the second project in the portfolio, I wanted to choose a project that represented a defining moment in Neville Brody’s career. That is, more specifically the work that served as a major launch pad for the rest of his career. Brody was able to gain name recognition relatively early in his career, this is somewhat due to his widely celebrated work for Face Magazine. This is the work that arguably set the tone for the rest of Brody’s career as it exhibited his style fully. The monthly magazine ran from 1980 to 2004 and covered aspects of popular culture like music and fashion. Brody’s work with the magazine provides great snapshots of his design philosophy and aesthetic. Brody used type of contrasting, color sizes and shapes to challenge the standards for magazine design. Brody didn’t settle for the idea that magazine design had to be static and boring in order for readers to connect with the information. Instead, he suggested that by offering contrast, designers could provide hierarchy and movement that was helpful to readers. This particular cover design stood out to me because the colors of the text really pop against the black and white photo. Typically, I would never consider putting these colors together for fear that they might vibrate and make the composition appear busy. But somehow, Brody makes these color combinations work together beautifully. This is just one of many examples of how Brody’s uses contrast to his advantage in his designs for Face Magazine. Additionally, on the particular cover, Brody combines 4+ fonts but still manages to have them connect visually. I think he does this by using sans-serif fonts of varying weights and placing them strategically. As I looked through other cover photos designed by Brody, I noticed that his designs never seemed to settle into a distinguishable pattern. For example, while some covers feature headshots of various people, others feature only type. This a testament to how much Brody values type; in many of his designs it is seen as strong enough to stand on its own. We’ll see how Brody continues to use type in this way in his later work.

References:

http://www.designcurial.com/news/ahead-of-the-curve/