Compose two styles

Rather than blending two styles into a middle, this assigns them roles: one carries the structure, the other appears as an accent. Where the two fight, it says so before you start.

How to divide the work

Composition
Follow Editorial Collage: Choose the leading fragment; layer the rest before and behind
Type
Set in Editorial Collage's manner (A disciplined text face with large pull quotes), and let 80’s Editorial's lettering (High-contrast serif with a small companion sans) appear only where you want the eye to catch.
Material
Ground in Editorial Collage's material (Photos, scraps, hand-drawn lines; leave the cut edges visible); bring in exactly one thing from 80’s Editorial (Black-and-white photography, cream paper, black).
Colour
Build on #ede6d8, #e4462f, #22201d and admit one accent from #f2eee5, #b9a58f, #161513.

Where they fight

  • Editorial Collage and 80’s Editorial share no intent, so the contrast has to become the subject rather than something to smooth over.
  • Both belong to Publishing and Editing, so the difference is small. Push the roles further apart than feels comfortable.

Caution

  • Editorial Collage Don't just add material. Be able to say what every fragment means.
  • 80’s Editorial Type that is too small is a barrier, not a mood. Check legibility at real size.

Image prompt

An original image that takes its structure from Editorial Collage (Technique, contemporary) and its accent from 80’s Editorial (Style, 1980s). Structural cues: Cut-out photographs; Mixed scales; Collision with white space; Annotations. Accent cues, used sparingly: High-contrast serifs; Bold photography; Wide margins; Hairline rules. Composition: Choose the leading fragment; layer the rest before and behind. Type and lettering: A disciplined text face with large pull quotes. Let one material quality come from the second style: Black-and-white photography, cream paper, black. Mood: Rebellion, Exhilaration, Play, Luxury, Calm. Color: build on #ede6d8, #e4462f, #22201d with a single accent drawn from #f2eee5, #b9a58f, #161513. Constraints: do not imitate, reference or name any specific artist, studio, brand, character or copyrighted work. Produce an original composition in the general period languages described above.

Related entries

  • Editorial Collage contemporary / Technique / Publishing and Editing

    Layers fragments from different times and contexts, showing the editor's point of view before any explanation.

  • 80’s Editorial 1980s / Style / Publishing and Editing

    Builds quiet but certain authority from white space and photographic scale.

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