V-3: The Vengeance Weapon - WWII Magazine - June/July

The June_July Issue of WWII Magazine features a graphic about the last of the vengeance weapons that Hitler hoped would destroy Britain.

Design Issues
Signposting
Recent discussions with folks in the graphics industry have pointed me towards the need for better signposting. Like many people passionate about a subject, it is always tempting to afford equal importance to all elements. A balanced composition is one thing - but there should be no confusion as to what the subject or editorial thrust is.

Orientation
As well as the headline, the initial image and paragraph should tell us what the basics of the story are and what to expect from the graphic.

Scale
I haven't put a scale in many of these illustrations - it is often a reliable staple of lazy graphics - and in Britain, things always get compared to a double decker bus. It seems relevant here though as the size of this weapon is one of the reasons for it's failure - but also symbolic of Hitler's (and Nazi German) arrogance and extreme vision.

Sketch-Up
Tools wise, I am using Google Sketchup to make some of these elements - it's a great programme although sometimes distracting to use. You really need to know what you want t achieve when you start it up or you'll be there for hours.

Further reading
When in the states recently I came across this V-Weapons Sites book by Steven Zaloga. . It is pretty concise. Ill add some more books as the blog goes on.

It's a shorter post this time as I am just back from being away - lots to catch up on.

Comments

[Phil Terry]

Max,

Great to see - thanks for putting this up and explaining some of your design logic.

What you call "signposting" is so important - I just want to underline and support your work in that direction. Not everything should be at the same level of emphasis. Classic mistake that makes websites as well as print graphics (and much else in life) hard to use or understand.