The Uses of Ornament

This editorial design was created for a magazine article called The Uses of Ornament, which is a selection from the 1849 John Ruskin book titled The Seven Lamps of Architecture. I drew inspiration from his discussion of ornate pillars and columns, as well as the intricate architectural imagery to create this magazine layout. I created the text to be reminiscent of the aforementioned pillars, creating a sense of verticality on the page. The first spread has simple, symmetrical columns representing the function-over-form argument discussed in the article, and the coulmns on the second spread are offset in height and are broken up by pull quotes and images to represent the more ornate and visually complex style of architecture.

Because this was a conceptual assignment, I also created the magazine that this article would be featured in. The brand I created, called Artifacts, is a magazine covering historical architecture, archeology, and culture. Their logotype contains a compass rose in place of the letter “T” and is often presented on the backdrop of an aged map to reflect the historical and often adventurous themes found within its articles.