California Love… How I love accidental research findings!

i AM SO EXCITED FOR THIS POST! I know!…. I really do live a sad life! 😛 I do love stumbling across acidental design gems though and I feel like this might be one of them!….

I was writing my post for my “Netflix, Design and Chill” section of my blog about the Abstract Documentary featuring Paula Scher and Pentagram when I accidentally stumbled across something interesting as part of my research for assignment 1!

Trying to find a decent image to upload to my blog post about Paula Scher led me to her Pentagram design agency website in which there was some of their recent work uploaded to the home page; one of Pentagrams clients is a Catholic University in Los Angeles called Loyola Marymount University and their publication called LMU Magazine. LMU have been completely rebranded by Pentagram and their relaunch issue “The Los Angeles Edition” is EVERYTHING relating to my design ideas around the “Los Angelenos”

….(I can’t help but feel a bit smug that my mind obviously works in a similar way to the great Scher and Pentagram! :P)….

The idea and concept, the images used and the way in which they are used to link to the articles and cleverly communicate a message. It really stands out to me. The layout is also flawless. The content of the magazine obviously also looks very educational and interesting and completely relates to my interest of LA, the history, the locals, the arts and surrounding area.

I HAVE to get a copy of this magazine to read!

https://www.pentagram.com/work/lmu-magazine/story

So.. I have emailed LMU very nicely to see if they might kindly be able to send me a copy all the way across the pond to me! (I know!.. it’s quite a long way!) I eagerly await their response!

Here are a few snippets of the articles I found online.. the layout and images used!

Djs Lmu Magazine 01
This is a very similar idea to what I have in my design ideas! – I have used the map to portray Los Angeles and also played with the Los Angeleno idea. I like how this is a University magazine which is distributed to students and they have used that as part of the main image. Freshers at Uni would be given name tags on their first days so that people can remember their names; this is a name badge for “Angeleno” it gives me a sense that it is about “belonging” although the students are all new to each other they all belong to Los Angeles as Angelenos. It is showing to me a hello, welcome and you are now a part of LA.
The way “The Los Angeles Edition” has been incorporated into the design is also very clever – Following Schers love of maps this has been incorporated into how seas would be written on maps.
This to me is clever!.. I was drawn to this image anyway because I have a love for old type and typewriters (I own a vintage one at home I always say one day I will include in my designs!) but this image relates so well to the content it is communicating. The article that this image relates to talks about the history behind Los Angeles, the name “Angeleno” and how it was written and typed in the past. The accent on Angeleno it was believed was a type error. The image here plays on that. The hand is playfully playing with the accent; it can either take it or leave it. Either way its showing human intervention or the “error”.
It also highlights homelessness which is something sadly I noticed when I last visited LA. I would be interested in reading his article as it is something that I care for and is close to my heart. I like the images used here also. The images are used to provoke empathy, softness, kindness and care. The type used is handwritten (In style of the homeless people like how they write on their cardboard signs) The letters are cleverly put together in a collage style – Carson springs to mind.
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Published by Amy Moore

Creativity is nothing but a mind set free.

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