I have used some of my watercolor paintings to design mock magazine spreads as an exercise in typography, layout, scale and color. I decided to play with two words “falling” and “rising” to see how I could achieve these effects with design.

The font IvyMode brought some fun and drama, while remaining very chic. I wanted the typography to reflect an elegant minimalism to contrast the busyness of the imagery.

Taurus rising is a reference to astrology. In astrology, the zodiac sign taurus is associated with the bull. I kept the type simple, but added a rising sun to reflect back to the painting.

I was inspired, especially in the last two spreads, by the watercolors of John Lurie.