TOC Digital Mockups and Convention Choices

In any magazine, a Table of Contents is a crucial part of it. Without one, the reader will find it harder to navigate and more time-consuming and possibly even less interesting. Therefore, in this blog I will be creating 2 possible table of contents for my magazine. Furthermore, I will be going into detail as to why and how I chose to take every step into creating the mockups. The image editing process is in the last blog I created. In this one, my final vision for the TOC and some of the possible elements will be shown. So, let's go ahead and dive in!

Mockup 1:

To begin with, my first mockup is very sophisticated compared to the usual TOC's that you will see in fashion magazines. This is due to the font, layout, design, and even color choice. The design is leaning more towards a simple and modern kind of look since this is what most fashion genres opt for in a TOC. 

Firstly, the font choice of the magazine's text is Sans Serif and specifically, Lato. I chose this font due to its modern and sleek look. Since it's minimal and straightforward, with no serifs or extra designs, the reader actually feels more connected and friendly towards the writing. Therefore, they can feel more connected to the content being presented while reading even if the content is conveyed in a professional manner. As for the actual content, I chose to write it in a friendly yet professional manner. It was written in an informal style while still sounding professional enough since that is what most fashion magazines choose to do. On the other hand, I chose a Serif font for the masthead and page numbers known as Abril Fatface. This font combined with the other one used to balance the mood of the content. While it has a simple typeface, the simplicity gives it a high-class look making it the perfect pick to pair with the other font choice. While it has a simple typeface, the simplicity gives it a high-class look making it the perfect pick for many published pieces of work. From there, I bolded the masthead and the page numbers to make them the main focus of each section. Overall, the combination of the fonts used to convey the content allowed for a high-class yet sleek look. 

Secondly, the color palette of the TOC is simple and clear. The neutral beige color of the background allows the model to pop out in the page while also having a calming look. This tan color takes on the characteristics of the page's content making it all come together very well. Not only that, but it allows the white and black of the actual content pop out even more. The color that the model is wearing is the same as the cover, allowing the TOC and cover to align very well giving the overall magazine a put-together look. Dark colors such as brown and red tend to complement the tan color very well which is exactly the color scheme that was opted for above. Ultimately, this TOC uses very simple colors which gives it the salutary simple look. 

Lastly, the layout of the TOC is certainly the most unique element of it due to the unusual placement. To start off, most fashion magazines have the pages and their content more clustered and covering the whole page. However, I chose to keep it brief and simple with a good balance between the main image and the actual TOC content. This placement of the white strip on the right looked better due to the pose of the model; she is looking to the right, and it would look awkward if she were to be placed on the right. The model takes up most of the space on the left side of the page so that there is an equal balance for the empty space on the right side of it. Therefore, this allows the magazine to have the right items in the right places so that it has the perfect final look.  

Mockup 2:

When looking at this mockup now, it looks extremely different from the previous one. From the layout of how the content is presented to the font chosen for the text, it has very unique design elements. 

Firstly, the font I chose for this TOC page is Montserrat which is in the Sans Serif group. For the section headers or titles and the page numbers I used the font in classic so that the letters are still bolded enough to appear as the main text. Then, the subheadings below the sections were in the same font but light so that the reader is able to tell that they are the second things to read. The font used here gives the page and its content a modern and clean look which is a necessary convention in fashion magazines. Furthermore, the content of the actual TOC is all fashion and beauty related. The headings are all relevant to the genre and their page subheadings have interesting catchers. The subheadings I chose attract the teasers to being interested in what the topic covers exactly. The page numbers on the right of the page align with the topics placed on the right of the model. The placement here is actually all for a particular reason. 

Secondly, the placement of all the elements above has a reason behind it. The actual headings and subheadings are placed where they are because of where the model is. Since she takes up most of the space on the left of the page, the content would have to also be visible. So therefore, they are placed right next to the model's right. This allows for each of the two to get the right amount of visibility and take up the right amount of space. For the overall layout, the content is on the left with the page numbers on the right. This is because the design shown is similar to a design used for TOCs except this one has the main mage taking up more space than usual. Therefore, the text is pushed to the right of the model in the image. I decided to place the masthead right on top of the model vertically for a unique look. However, after further inspecting, it does not look good, and it looks crowded and distracting. Overall and besides the minor detail, the layout looks clean and sleek and align with the genre very well with the combined placement of the items in relation to each other. 

Lastly, the colors of the whole TOC page were derived from the model's outfit colors. This was done in order to ensure that the colors complement each other in the color scheme. From there, the brown and the beige colors were chosen as they not only are neutral, but also weren't too bright and distracting. The colors of the season are neutrals, and these were a great match to that theme. The brown spaces on the top and bottom of the page are there for not only an extra touch, but also to add more color to the very simple page. The actual text itself is black as white would not be as visible against the very light background color. Overall, the colors chosen for this design all collaborate together to make the elegant look you can see above. 

Conclusion:

To wrap up, the two mockups created in this blog have the fashion genre look to them which is the ultimate goal. Each TOC and its content have a unique way of attracting the readers' attention. The overall layout, colors, fonts, and design of each TOC work together to create the eye-catching look. Ultimately, the next step is to choose one of the mockups to finalize and add the last touches to which would indicate my final product for the TOC. They both look modern and elegant which makes the choice extremely hard. However, many elements will be taken into consideration when choosing.