For my senior project, I am leading as head of graphics for the second edition of the

SSHS Literary Magazine. My job consists of creating graphics and organizing the layout of
pieces of the Magazine. I am also working with other students to create the layout and graphic
elements. I decided to take part in the graphic design of the magazine because I have a passion
for graphic design and want to certify in it. Once completing this project the Literary Magazine
club will produce the second edition of the SSHS Literary Magazine about education and
education reform. Ive previously taken graphics and publications and am currently taking ROP
graphic design. These classes teach the basic skills necessary to produce something like our
magazine, but I have not worked on something this long on such a large scale. Our projects in
class do not always require original work because the objective is to learn how to use the
program and its functions rather than taking time to create something. It is also different because
in class you work independently and the magazine will require me to work with other people.
The magazine requires communication with authors and businesses as well because we are
taking article submissions and want to reach out to the community and target sales to people
outside of our school. Along with this I want to find the psychological effects of graphic design.
The colors and elements of graphic design all present a certain emotion from a piece. I want to
be better at matching graphic styles with moods and learn what things people expect from a color
or design.
The process of developing a magazine is long and arduous. First, articles and
photographs are collected and edited. Graphic designers then choose a template, color scheme,
and overall mood or theme for the magazine. Designers must consider every detail of a spread.
This includes balance, rhythm, movement, proportion, position, value, color, line, shape, and
texture to draw attention to some things and subconsciously tells a reader where to look on the

page first. (Cezzar) Ideas usually begin as thumbnails. They are shown to an art director or
editor, in this case a teacher, and critiqued to choose the best concept. The magazine is created,
critique, edited, critiqued again, edited again, and eventually sent off to be printed. On the other
side of the process, marketing does their best to publicize the magazine and sell it in places with
high foot traffic. Partnering companies are contacted for sales, like the magazines in grocery
stores and magazine subscriptions delivered directly to peoples homes. Combined with an eyecatching cover, successful publicity and a good location will most effectively sell the product.
Subconsciously while a reader looks through a magazine, they are being directed how to read
and emotions to feel. Patterns and symmetry are easier for the brain to process, meaning that a
person will be drawn to them. Shapes have associations with different moods or themes. Having
an understanding of psychology and human behavior will make it easier for people to
comprehend and connect with a project (Taylor).
Patricia Wright provides an extensive study about the psychology of layout as well.
Ironically, the paper was formatting very much like a research paper and made itself very
uninviting to read. Her statement begins that layout is crucial to the identification of a document.
She provides examples like timetables and a letters and print versus digital documents to prove
how layout varies through each type of document. A footnote is used in literature or print books
and letters but is obsolete on digital media because there can be pop ups or links to other pages
of the website. Next she explains that layout can decrease the amount of effort required to read
and comprehend information. Tables, vertical layouts, and alignments all make it easier to locate
specific information we are looking for and much easier to digest compared to a long run on
paragraph. A great example for this is graphs. They are often used to present data and statistics
that wouldve otherwise been confused or hard to understand. There are visual cues and

comparison to show what people need to know. From the creators perspective layout also helps
with cost, because reducing the space necessary to print will reduce the number of pages and
amount of ink required. The rest of the paper focuses on the readers willingness to read,
assumptions, and strategies. Basically, layout will tell the reader what they are looking at, what
type of information they are looking at and how to approach the information. (Wright)
Color alone can change the way the audience perceives as message. Typically: red is
associated with strong emotion, pink with love and affection, orange with excitement and
warmth, yellow with joy or anger, green with luck or fertility, blue with serenity, purple with
mystery or royalty, white with purity or coldness, and black with death and evil. Each color has
its own association with different events and feelings and moods and certain combinations and
uses can extend the emotion of a piece. The colors must complement each other and be
strategically used to create the look the designer wants. (Elrick) Shapes also have a similar effect
on readers. Circular shapes are associated with compassion, square and pyramid shapes are
associated with strength, vertical shapes and lines with power, horizontal shapes and lines with
peace, curves with happiness, and angles with energy or anger. Both color and shape should
complement each other but also have enough contrast to accentuate certain details so that
specific things will stand out from the rest. (Design Skills) They should be unified until
purposefully broken to add interest.
Another part of creating a magazine is presenting information in new exciting ways. The
typical magazine include a large photograph on one side of the spread and vertical columns of
text. While it is simple and easy to follow a reader might not find interest to continue reading if
the pages of the magazine are not visually interesting. In this article on InDesignSkills, wrapping

or warping text, taking photographs from different angles, and using varying size to draw
attention and create something more visually appealing. (InDesignSkills)
I mostly researched psychology relating to colors and other graphic elements of a
magazine. Ive never been involved with the process of a publication like a book or magazine so
I found a few sources about the process, but it is fairly straightforward and the Literary Magazine
club put together a business relations team. From the graphic design standpoint Ive only made
and completely assignments for class so far so I have no experience with the creator and client
communication or relation. Ive had my work critiqued in class by peers and the teacher but
havent had the need to cater to a client. The magazine will required me to satisfy the author, the
editors, and the readers. The main reason I researched psychology involved with graphic design
is because I wanted to know how readers are affected by certain things. I know that colors and
shapes and layout change the way something is perceived but I needed to know how in order to
apply that to my own work. Moving forward, colors and shapes will also be included in things to
consider when making a magazine and any design artwork. I expect to be researched other
elements and examples as I work to compare it to experienced or professional designers. With
my research I know I must look at professional work and use certain details to improve my work.
I expect to have my work critiqued by many people and collaborate with them to edit and change
my first drafts so that any minor details will be worked out. I hope to include interesting things
that are not commonly seen in magazines so that readers will be intrigued and read through all
the pieces. I also hope that we will be able to sell many copies of the magazine and reach more
success than the first edition of the magazine.

Works Cited
Cezzar, Juliette. What do Graphic Designers Need to Know? AIGA (2014). Web. 26 Sept.
2016.
Taylor, Anna. The Psychology of Design Explained Digital Arts from IDG. Digital Arts Online
(2013). Web. 26 Sept. 2016.
Wright, Patricia. The Psychology of Layouts: Consequences of the Visual Structure of
Documents AAAI Technical Report. FS-99-04. Cardiff University (1999). Web. 26 Sept.
2016.
Elrick, Lauren. The Graphic Designers Guide to the Psychology of Color School of Design.
Rasmussen College (2016). Web. 26 Sept. 2016.
Unknown. The Psychology of Forms Design Skills. Panacentric Limited (2001-2007). Web. 26
Sept. 2016.
Unknown. Fresh Ideas for Improving Your Magazine Layouts InDesignSkills (2016). Web. 26
Sept. 2016.

Annotated Bibliography
Cezzar, Juliette. What do Graphic Designers Need to Know? AIGA (2014). Web. 26 Sept.
2016.
This article covers basic concepts about graphic design and gives brief overview of things
one will encounter during their career. It includes elements of art and methods and
techniques for creating art pieces. It is a nice overview that covers many things we learn
in semester graphics and publications.
This article comes from a .org website so it should be trustworthy. They come from a
group so the author should be trustworthy too. The articles seems to be factual and fairly
recent. It is very brief and only covers the topics but does not go in depth.
Clark, Nancy. "Editorially speaking ..." PSA Journal 69.8 (2003): 13. Student Resources in
Context. Web. 26 Sept. 2016.
This article is about the process of putting together a journal. It includes the process of
working and collaborating with other people and organization. It includes a basic outline
of the developing and printing process and some problems one might encounter.
Nancy Clark from the Photographic Society of America, Inc. This is a group of people
that seem credible with a factual article. It was published in 2003 so it might be a little
outdated. It is supposed to be a concise article so it does a very good job of giving
information while keeping to the point.
Cleveland, Paul. The Effect of Technology on the Development of Magazine Visual Design
Style Publication. Griffith University (2004). Web. Sept. 2016.
This article is about the change in style of graphic design with technology. It explains
how technology changed graphic design and the way it was used and created.

This author is credible because it is published through their university. It is from 2004 so
some things might be dated but the information should still work for my project. The
article is very thorough and well researched because it is a thesis probably for a masters
in design.
Elrick, Lauren. The Graphic Designers Guide to the Psychology of Color School of Design.
Rasmussen College (2016). Web. 26 Sept. 2016.
This article goes in depth about the psychology of color and how it affects a persons
perception. Each color sets a different mood or emotion. The articles warns to choose
colors wisely to convey the right message.
The author is from a university and posts with their website so they must be trustworthy.
It is credible and factual and also published very recently. It is thorough about each color
but also brief enough for any reader.
Kanakubo, Yoshitaka. Leung, Nick. Yacoe, Madeline. Magazine Advertising Copy Washington
University. Web. 26 Sept. 2016.
This article focuses on the advertising aspect of magazine production. It gives you the
perspective of a team working to appease to the community and capture their attention.
There are also suggestions to styles and designs that might capture a large group of
peoples attention.
This file seems to be created by university students majoring in design and marketing.
There is no date but everything seems to be fairly current. It is labeled clearly so it is easy
to find help on specific things.
Taylor, Anna. The Psychology of Design Explained Digital Arts from IDG. Digital Arts Online
(2013). Web. 26 Sept. 2016.

This website article explains the psychology of design. Some topics include logos and
shapes and the color for mood. It explains how it affects a person and the way they
receive that information.
The author is a design writer with experience working for other companies in the past.
The article if from 2013 so it is not out of date. It is researched but still brief.
Unknown. Fresh Ideas for Improving Your Magazine Layouts InDesignSkills (2016). Web. 26
Sept. 2016.
This website provides different and creative ideas for different magazine styles and looks.
There are techniques and elements that might be unique or not commonly used.
This website looks like a trustworthy website. It has many posts or articles about
countless design topics that will be useful for a designer. There are also tutorials on how
to use Adobe InDesign. There is no author but the entire site is dedicated to InDesign.
This post was created in 2016 so I know that it is current and relevant. The article isnt
completely thorough because it only suggest ideas.
Unknown. The Psychology of Forms Design Skills. Panacentric Limited (2001-2007). Web. 26
Sept. 2016.
This website talks about the emotions conveyed by a type of graphic design element.
These components set the mood of a piece and subconsciously tells a reader what to feel.
This website doesnt have a specific author but is a .org source so we know it is
trustworthy. It is a very concise article and is meant to be a quick reference.
Unknown. Magazine Design Visual Communication: Theory and Practice (2011). Syracuse
University. Web. 26 Sept. 2016.

This file contains examples of magazines asks questions and gives guiding information
on what makes a piece successful. It includes components that a magazine should have
and points out common practices. It also includes some background on different styles of
different times.
This files was created by a university with well researched information. It was published
in 2011 so it is not out of date. The article includes many examples.
Wright, Patricia. The Psychology of Layouts: Consequences of the Visual Structure of
Documents AAAI Technical Report. FS-99-04. Cardiff University (1999). Web. 26 Sept.
2016.
This file is about the effect of layout and design on the human mind. It goes deep into the
psychology of perception and how readers interpret information. There are many factors
that go into the legibility and interest of a graphic design piece.
The author is a professor at Cardiff University. It is very credible and factual. It was
copyrighted in 1999 but the information is most likely still similar and accurate to new
information discovered later. The file is well researched and also includes sources.