Cover Experiments - Vintage Manual Influence

Each experiment is 4" by 6"so it is the size of an average photograph. This seems like a good constraint to have to focus my design decisions on (for example: appropriate text size, displaying information without overcrowding.)

1. This was an experimental cover in the style of kodak manual I was previously researching. I trialed several different ways of including the camera image in this design and still the result seems a bit 'clunky.' In the original image the photograph is contained in a circle, yet this seemed out of place compared to the rest of the design when I experimented with it. Perhaps there needs to more editing of the photograph to make it blend with the rest of the design? The red strip at the bottom is also in the style of several camera manuals I've looked at, with the modernist approach of just having a practical statement tagged underneath. 

Experiment 1- Black

2. This experiment was an accidental result on photoshop, however I think it works well and truly reflects the idea of getting exciting imperfections from film photography. This is something I want to further explore as I can still tie-in the 50s manual aesthetic through elements like typography.

It even reminded me of a 70s punk publication made by The Secret Republic shown below, which follows a similar collage fusion- not focused on perfection but just making an impression; which is overall how film photographs tend to be?

Experiment 2- Aretteia

One thing that each of the example manuals I've looked at have had in common, is that each has aged. They look worn and wrinkled, well loved. This is something I wanted to the guide to also convey, however I didn't want to deliberately damage the publication once it was printed, so I roughed some paper and scanned it in to be a background. This has worked fairly well and could be something I do for all of the pages to give them an aged look.

Experiment 3- Blue

Something I looked at and found particularly inspiring was Surf magazine. This contained beautiful photography and was framed well, with a good use of text. Although my interpretation isn't very similar, it could be developed further to have a similar aesthetic. I particularly like the way the text has been arranged in the top left and right corners, this seems organised and perfect for a photography book.

Experiment 4- Amsterdam