Porsche Museum Information Spread

Problem

For a second-year spatial design course, I was given a task to design a spread on the Porsche Museum and explain architectural principles applied to this building. I was given a set of constraints such as using an asymmetrical layout, a grid structure, 11inch by 17inch paper, and the font Univers LT Std.

My Exploration

  1. Grid structure
  2. Principles of design
  3. Univers LT Std font family
  4. Adobe Illustrator
Creating a grid structure.
Figure 1: Setting up a grid structure with an odd number of columns is one way to begin the design process.

My Process

First Step

The first step was to finish the writing for all the sections and plan out all the images that will aid my explanation because good content should be the most important part in graphical design, especially since I am more function driven. I proof read my writing multiple of time and made sure the syntax structure and tone are simple enough to be understood by non-native English speakers since I believe in accessible design where I can communicate with all audiences. I also ensured that proper terminology and architectural principles are used for the Porsche Museum.

Second Step

Once my writing is finalized, I began designing the poster. An essential element as well as constraint was the grid system which was placed first as a foundation. One way to begin an asymmetrical design is by using an odd number of columns. This grid structure is only used to begin the design process but it could be changed or stretched as long as the columns remains with equal width. I began the design with 7 columns but I decided to use 5 columns because I wanted each line of text to have 7 to 10 words which maximized readability, since I am function driven.

Ideation and planning the positioning of the text and image.
Figure 2: By having blocks to represent the writing and the text, I arranged it in many different ways to find the best layout.

Third Step

I added block of different sizes, which represented each image, text or heading I was planning to use. After placing them onto the grid I had a better idea of the font size or image size I was planning to use in order to have enough space not only to place the content, but also white space which helps the reader transition between sections of content. White space also prevents the reader from being overwhelmed. Since, I am function driven, I wanted good quality text to constrain my design rather than having layout dictate the content. This means I had to resize images or use a slightly smaller font in order to not make drastic changes to my content.

After information and images have been placed on the spread, I finalized the spread by increasing visual pull on certain elements, eliminated widows or orphans from the spread and made sure the constraints were followed.

Porsche Museum Final Information Spread.
Figure 3: The completed Porsche Museum poster with real content.

Learning Outcome

As I looked back at this poster a year later, I realized that many elements could have been approved. The size of the title was extremely large compared to the rest of the text so half its size will suffice. The sub-headers could have been a bit bigger as it slightly being buried by the columns of content. Also, there were two words hanging in a new line in the section of heritage and this should be removed for aesthetic purposes. Also, the large image has a different a different feel as the color scheme is darker than the rest of the images so it feels out of place.

Download File

Final Poster PDF