Monday, January 28, 2013

National Geographic - Amy Millett


National Geographic, as I'm sure most people know, is a monthly photojournalistic magazine that focuses primarily on themes such as travel, animals, and the environment. I chose this issue specifically because the cover and the articles inside have countless instances of beautiful integration of text and imagery.

If you consider the cover picture above, you will notice that there are three different typefaces at work: a serif that closely resembles Times New Roman, a more condensed sans serif, and an italic serif. Each typeface is drastically different, but the use of sized-based hierarchy and color helps to differentiate each line of text. The type also works together with the fox photo, playing off the color palette and idea of dimensional space. You will notice that some of the type is in front of the fox, while the more easily recognized logo type is in the background. Neither the text nor the photo is standing alone, the two elements work together to create a cohesive whole.




National Geographic continues to pay special attention to the way that type and image work together in  it's articles, as you can see here. 

Since National Geographic is widely known for it's fantastic photos, it would seem easy to place typography on the page as an afterthought or a secondary concern. This isn't the case; clear attention has been given to both aspects of design. I really like the way that they lay out their pages (even those that are text heavy) because the designs are simple, yet integrated. Type never looks like it is out of place or just floating around in random space. It's a good reminder of the impact that typography can have on the way we view and interpret information. It also helps to prove that typography is just as important as pictures.


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