laying out the calendar

I now need to decide on the final images which are going to be used within the calendar. Luckily I only have mainly two images for each to choose from. I have also been adding to a document of what order and which images look better next to one another, so I have an idea of which ones I am going to use.


I have realised that my calendar is going to need a front cover and I am wanting to put an image from one of my shoots on the front of it. I need to pick one of the strongest as it will give an idea to the consumer of what is going to be featured inside the calendar.


I need to get an idea of what layout I am going to use first.




Due to a recent visit to the printers I intend to use I have decided to change the layout of the calendar.


I visited the printers to get a quote on how much it would be to print the calendar and also get an idea of what their print quality was and whether they would be able to achieve what I was after.


I was happy with the quote of what they gave me
(£25.00 for an A4 calendar printed on silk card and consisting of 20 pages)
and the quality of their printing. They had an enormous printer that filled the whole of their back wall. Seeing this gave me the impression that they would be able to achieve high quality printing.


They showed me an example calendar in A4 of what they had done. After flicking though I realised that A4 is going to be too small for what I want. If I am going to use A4 it would mean that the images I have created would only be around A5 which to me is too small.
The printers were in the process of an order which was printing pages that were square. This has given me the idea to print my calendar square as that way it would mean I get to print my images A4 and there would not be masses of room spare for the calendar aspect. I do not want the calendar feature on the page to detract or over power the main point of the calendar, the images.


I am not sure how I want to layout the calendar I just know of the content that will be within it. I have decided against using an inspirational column as I do not want to detract from the image. I want the calendar to be simplistic and clean cut so it is important to not have too much on a page.


After research online I have realised that I am going to be unable to get hold of the important fashion dates and be able to use them in my calendar. As the calendar is going to be for 2014 there are no definite dates released yet. This is really disappointing as I really think it would have added to the fashion and trend aspect of the calendar. As the calendar is targeting the fashion concious these dates would have interested them.


One of the most difficult aspects of designing the layout is finding a balance between a trend product and a wall calendar. I do not want the outcome to look like just a calendar. It is more than that. I also do not want the outcome to look like a load of pages of trends. Deciding what goes into the outcome and how it will sit on the page is going to be difficult. I want to create a specialist calendar. A trend forecasting calendar. It is very rare for the public to get hold of trend products so it is important that it is going to appeal but they are also going to use it, unlike a magazine where they will read the magazine and chuck it. I want the outcome to be related to constantly and by creating a calendar it will ensure that the consumer is looking and the product constantly if not daily. By ensuring it is a calendar as well will ensure that it is important in their lives.




I have looked around and these are some examples of layouts of calendars that I like

This is a very basic layout of a calendar and although it does not feature a image what drew me to it was the fact that it had a notes section. I had not considered doing this. The consumer could make notes and jot down ideas of make up and hair ideas which have been referenced from each months image. 

Although this is from a page where the calendar is daily rather than monthly. I liked the idea of featureing the date (or month in my case) at the bottom of the page. I also like the idea of the background of the image also being the background of the page. This way the image will look part of the page. I am not too sure how I would achieve this if I was to do it for my calendar. 

I like the way that the image is the main part of the page and the calendar, although featured is attached onto the side. It is also semi transparent so not to disrupt the the image. I like the idea of having the calendar aspect down the side of the page. I could use it next to my image rather than underneath otherwise it would be a very long calendar.

Although this calendar features three images and I only want to use one I like the idea of having the calendar tucked up in the corner. I also like the layout of the page. The way the writing is a clear feature and the year is down the side. I originally wanted to use a landscape format but with all of my images being portrait it makes the rest of the page a wasted space.  

This is another style which I like the look of. The image is portrait and by having the month down the side of the page allows the other calendar side to look so big.

This is a calendar page which is all about the image. The month is very small and hardly takes over the page. I think the calendar should be a little more relevant than this in my project. Although I am trying to find a balance, I still want the consumer to constantly refer to the images. This type of calendar is more of a poster that would be hung on the wall rather than a useful time keeper. 

There is the idea of having a different layout of calendar. I think the grid is a good idea as the consumer will still be able to write their plans on, but it is quite bulky and would take up quite a lot of room. 

I selected this image fir deciding on how to layout my front cover. I really like the way the image is the   entire background and the writing works over the top. It is simple with the colours all working together. I think that all of the calendar pages need to be consistent in style and colour throughout. Whatever is on the front page would have to work with all of the other pages. 

Although this is a diary I like the idea of creating something different. I have contemplated creating a diary instead of a calendar but as I have based my entire project around creating a calendar I think it is a bit late to change. 

I selected this image for the layout but I am unsure about it. I like the way the image is clear and big at the top op the page, and the month is written at the top. But I am unsure about the grid, I do not think it fits in with the rest of the page, maybe if the calendar was in a blue it would work better. 

Again, this image was selected for when I would design the from cover of my calendar. I really like the layout of this page. I think the square aspect is different and does not look as basic. I also like the way the writing is over the top of the background but it does not interfere with the design.  

This would be for the back page, where the consumer views all of the months together. I like the idea of putting them all together so the consumer can get a preview of what they would be buying. 

I really like this image. The way the face fills the page and the writing states what it is but is minimalist.

This is a similar image to what has already been evaluated. I feel this style would be fitting with my calendars look however I am unsure whether it could sit over the top of the image as it may hide some of the head shot detail. It may need to be next to the image instead. 

This layout is very simple and clear cut which I like. Although there is a grid it is very minimalist and the focus is still upon the image. I think that the white creates a simplistic, clean cut appearance. 

I definitely like the idea of using a square layout. I also like the idea of fitting the writing around the detail of the image. 

Although it is in black, this calendar is very simple in style. The writing states simply who it is and what it is for. 

I really like this layout and even the wording. I would like to use the wording 'A year in Beauty'. The image background is also the background for the rest of the page which is something which I like. 

Although this calendar is in black and white and this is something which I do not want. I have decided on using the square page layout and continuing the image background of the image into the background of the entire page. I think it is important to have the year on the front cover so it clearly states what year it is for. 

This is a different layout which I had not considered. The calendar is featured but it is very minimalist. I really like this idea as the calendar is just another feature to the image. By using this layout, the consumer would be unable to use it as a time keeper which is something which I feel is important in making it relevant to the consumer. 

This is a similar style to the previous, just in a portrait layout. 

This image was also selected for the front cover. I like the font of this image as it is quite edgy and modern. I also like the way the image continues off the page so it simple. 

This front cover is very different to what I had been previously looking at. I like the way the name is clearly stated at the top and the purpose is at the bottom but I am unsure of the white border, it is so simple it looks a little boring. 

This was the last image I selected for my front cover. I like the idea of having the writing on one side of the page and the image on the other. But they still work together as they sit on top of one another. The purpose being at the top and the year being at the bottom is a common theme which runs through many layouts. I feel this is something which I should draw upon. 

I have come up with a few ideas on how to layout my calendar. 

I like this layout because the consumer can still use the pages to write on and keep a daily planner. I feel it is not too intrusive over the pages but has a nice balance between trend and calendar aspects. 

I do like the simplicity of this image and although it features the calendar I feel there is a lot of wasted space. As the consumer cannot use the calendar for anything more than seeing what day and not being able to reference it for plans, I do not think the calendar feature is strong enough. 

This is the first layout I came up with for my trend pages. It is in keeping with the rest of the calendar as it is very simple. I think it may be a little too simple and not exciting enough for the consumer to want to read it. 

 I decided to play around with the layout and see what else I could create. I like this design as it feels more welcoming to read. I also like the different font that has been used as it adds variation and some personality to the calendar. I have also put key elements in the hair and makeup within the key colours. Although this is a good idea it does not show up that well on the lighter colours. I have been able to create these looks as I now feel confident in Photoshop and InDesign. 


I came up with this idea when finding this from Loreal. This inspired me to create this design.

I have decided to use the grey instead of the white as I found the white looked too stark and simple. I want the calendar to be modern and minimalist, but not boring. The images looked like they had been slapped on the page and there was no thought gone into it. 




Before deciding on a final layout I ensured that I got some feedback. They mentioned to think about whether the ring binder would destroy the top of my images. This was something which I had not contemplated. It was important for when it is bound that it would not go through the images. I could either make the images smaller which would create more space at the side. There is already a lot of space I do not want to create more. Or I could make the canvas size a little bigger to make room for where it will be pierced. I have decided to add a centimetre allowance at the top of my pages to allow the ring bind to go through that instead of my images. 


When thinking about the ring bind I had to then decide on the type and style of ring bind. To keep it in keeping with the modern minimalistic look I think that I should use a silver metal bind. I also need to ensure that the calendar is going to be able to be hung on the wall, so ideally the ring bind needs to have a hoop in which the consumer can then put a pin through and attach it to their wall. 


I think this layout meets the criteria of what I want to create. It is clean cut and has a focus upon the images. The calendar needs to be specific to my trends so I feel that I have been able to find a balance between the two aspects. It is important to create this so the consumer feels like they are purchasing something unique and appealing. As there are no other calendars like this that I am aware of it is a desirable product which brings them closer to what is going on in the fashion industry. The planning and decisions that are made when constructing and creating a trend package is normally very private, especially in fashion. Consumers usually find out weeks down the line, normally from secondary sources. This calendar will challenge this and provide the consumer with primary information which they can get immediately for when the season arrives.