34) Research: 'CAIRO DIVIDED', Jason Larkin - 20/4/18

For more inspiration on my own newspaper layout I decided to look at Jason Larkin's newspaper 'CAIRO DIVIDED', in which he set out to document the 'exposed layers of new urban centers being developed among desert dunes' being built for Cario's elite because they have begun to dream of escape as a result of the growing slums. Below are some screenshots of the layout which I like:

The first thing that I loved about this newspaper is the front cover, and the way Larkin has used one image to wrap around the front and back. It's a great way to fill such a large space without the page looking overcrowded, especially when mixed with text. I really like the use of a serif font on the front cover (and throughout the newspaper), I think it gives this feeling of importance, like the viewer should read it. As well as this, serif is much easier for people to read than sans serif, and this is why it is used in newspapers, because upper and lower case letters are more distinguishable, and it's easier to follow when reading quickly.

Another technique I liked was the way he used grids of images on some pages, alternating between 1 and 4 images per page. It mixes up the layout and keeps the viewer interested, and I feel it works really well with the square format of the images. This is something I'd really like to do in my own newspaper, however I don't have enough images in this format - mostly rectangular.

The way Larkin lays out his quotes on the page also inspired me for my own work. By putting them at the bottom of the page it allows the image to have more room to breathe. It also means the viewer's attention goes to the image first because its above the quote, which I think is a good layout technique because the photographs should be able to give meaning without the text as well as with.

Following on from this, another way Larkin laid out his images was one per double page spread, which I feel works successfully with square formatted images because it also leaves space for quotes. The text on the above page also interplay's really well with the image by the subtle layering either side of the pages. I think this works effectively with an image of a landscape or something less busy because there's negative space for the quotes to be layered on. I don't think this would work so well with my own images because they're portraits or depict more detail.

Another point I wanted to add was that after looking on Jason Larkin's website I noticed he has a very specific style throughout all the work he produces, and how he presents himself through his website. Below is a screenshot of his website to depict my point better:

As you can see, the same square format of images is used throughout all his own work and commissioned work, as well as the same serif font in these publications and on his website. It really ties together his style and aesthetic as an artist, and after getting my Professional Practice feedback from Jim, this is something I really need to work on thinking about for myself as an artist. I need to be able to take images with a consistent style and present them on my website with an aesthetic that relates to this, and then when people see them out of context they'll still be able to recognize that it's one of my images. So I also take inspiration from him in the way that he presents himself as an artist.

All in all I'm really pleased I looked at this newspaper because it has given me lots of layout techniques for both images and text, and has shown me a much cleaner layout in comparison to publications like 'Preston is my Paris'. I also took a lot of inspiration from Jason Larkin in terms of his strong style and look, something I need to think about more for my own work.

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