DIY Aesthetics
Carrying the torch from a storied visual history of torn up, photocopied, and do-it-yourself aesthetics, the challenge was to find new ways to make the magazine feel modern, while still embodying the ethos of their motto “skate and destroy.”
No Two Layouts The Same
Since the art department wasn’t beholden to a specific set of typefaces, Dan took the liberty to never make any two features look the same.
Anatomy of a Skateboarding Layout
A) Always show the takeoff and the landing. B) The direction of the main action goes into the spread not off the page. C) Lifestyle accent photo or less impressive skate trick goes here. D) Depending on the photo width, text gets one or two columns. E) “Page flags” reflect the design of the opening spread. F) Pull quotes are an added design element of stoke. G) If not in the lower corner of the page, captions go in a logical, legible place.
Zounds good
Dan interviewed all of his favorite bands and designed the layouts for Zounds, the music section in the back of the book. In the early years, a custom layout was made for each artist until a single font choice was settled on for them to run consistently throughout the department.
Next Section: CONTENT MARKETING