A practice I did this

A practice I did this morning to exercise art direction and layout.

Editorial design is something I really enjoy and try to incorporate into web design whenever a project allows it. In these kinds of exercises, I like to start by looking at photos and images, and when one catches my attention and inspires me to design, I build the whole context around that image.

For this case, I looked for an article on mixology and found one about the history of cocktail-making, which felt perfect. I also think a good challenge for a designer is to make a large block of text not only look good in the design but also invite the reader to actually want to read it instead of skipping over it.

The color palette comes directly from the image, which is perfect. For typography, I tried several options and I believe the final choice is the right one, both for the title and for the subtitle and body text. Empty spaces are very important in this kind of design—they give breathing room so the eye doesn’t get tired and everything feels harmonious.

I’d love to know what kind of practices other designers do outside of client work. Hope you like it, any feedback is welcome!