Type & Photography Reverse Engineer Post
While searching for a great example of both photography and typography in a magazine, I came across this striking 2-page layout created by Pete DeMarco for the Thai inflight magazine, Sawasdee.
Typography Identification
DeMarco uses both a slab serif and a sans serif, with a decorative twist, in the title of his article. The yellow “Busan” is identifiable as a slab serif due to having very little thick/thin transition and straight, thick serifs. The white “high five” is identifiable as a sans serif due to its even stroke and lack of serifs. DeMarco gave his sans serif a decorative edge by stretching out the tops of the letters to create skyscrapers.
Typography Contrast
The types contrast with each other due to the yellow short type and thick stroke of the slab serif and the white tall type and thin stroke of the sans serif. The tall san serif is elongated even more with the decorative buildings emerging out of the tops of the letters which provides even more contrast. The color difference and the size difference also create contrast.
Photography
Both depth of field and leading lines were used in this photo. The depth of field used to create this stunning aerial shot covers miles of ground. The buildings in the forefront first capture your attention. Then the bridge, which creates a leading line, takes your eyes to the mountains in the background.
Depth of Field Examples
Recreating aerial shots was not in my budget so I had to use a little imagination. In the first shot I used jars from my kitchen to set a scene mimicking the structures of buildings. Although this photo is taken straight on, you can see the depth of field difference of the jars in the front, near the camera, and the jars on the counter in the background. The next two photos were taken at a high vantage point to mimic the aerial view, with objects near, and objects in the distance. The sidewalk and the road create a leading line in the last photo.
Summary
DeMarco created a visually appealing 2-page layout with great examples of type and photography. He did this with contrasting typography but, most remarkable, was his photograph of the city of Busan, South Korea and the use of depth of field.
Melissa Christensen 