real simple

I've decided that from now on, my standard for a good, clean layout is Real Simple Magazine. I managed to find a back issue at Magazine Exchange (Megamall). The current issue looks amazing but it costs around 700PHP which I couldn't afford at that time. The issue that I bought is not in any of the covers below ( I got the Feb 2011 issue), I'm only showing random sample covers, and then some random pages as well, to show you how nice their look is.

Real Simple magazine is characterized by its clean layouts that truly recognize empty space as an actual part of the page. Their typography is fantastic, one I can truly hail as feminine, without trying too hard to be. I love it when empty space, copy and art are all working together in this kind of harmony. How I wish that I could produce work like this, though in order to do so I will have to convince people to put less and less items on pages. Apparently we're not sure if the Filipino market is all right with the minimalistic approach. There's something about empty spaces that communicate "premium" and "exclusivity"- things that repel careful buyers. They know the visual cues to avoid, that tell you the item is mahal or features mahal stuff. Though that is totally not the case with Real Simple- it's an all around practical magazine for conscientious buyers. They actually have a talent for making cheap stuff look fabulous.

I wish that someday, Filipinos in general would be attracted to the "less is more" approach. Even if you look around you in the metro, it's obvious that we are so used to clutter. When I worked back in the agency, or even sometimes in my work now, there are people who actually look for clutter in the page! They tell me "mashadong konti" or "umaalog ba? dagdagan ko". I dunno, it's just really the mentality of Filipinos to "maximize" a space, just like how they miraculously put second floor levels in those hobbit-hole stores at the Shopping Center in UP.