Before I go into this critique I guess I should preface you all about RESPECT. Magazine. It's a national hip-hop magazine based in New York City, and I interned there last summer. They liked me, so I was able to stay on remotely since I left for school back in August. Since then, I have turned into the website's unofficial feature designer. When we are able to get original photographs or courtesy art for bigger interviews, I try to design something that puts that RESPECT. stamp of approval on it. I pitched the idea of doing weekly web covers for the bigger features this week and the editors liked the idea "originally."
For reference, here's some previous RESPECT. print covers. RESPECT.'s design steez is definitely clean. I believe we use three fonts for the entire magazine. For a hip-hop magazine, it's probably one of the most conservative design-wise. The Tyler, The Creator cover was a collector's cover so that's why there are no sell lines.
Here's the web cover prototype I sent.
It still the print feel, but I tagged it as a "RESPECT-MAG.COM COVER." I loved it, naturally. The feedback wasn't what I expected, exactly. It looked to much like the magazine and the web cover idea wasn't clear enough. An hour later, I sent this in.
I figured I would cement the online web cover factor with the addition of a second "-mag.com" tag. Also, notice "The Krista" on his head with the logo. My feedback came back, and the powers that be still weren't feeling the magazine feel. As it turns out, we had a miscommunication with the concept. I kept on saying web cover, but the editor was thinking, more or less, a feature image with some type and a logo on it. Alas, I had to settle.
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Not crazy about it, but compromise is the name of the game.
Well, since I was sitting right next to you when you designed the second cover (and even added my input that made it become #2), but I like the final layout. However, I think they could have kept the RESPECT. big.
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