This project was about creating a magazine theme using one colour and representing its meaning through the overall design.

The colour I chose for this brief was red, with ‘merlot’ being the specific swatch. The colour red can be interpreted in many ways- it is associated with power, passion, desire, and love. It is also a very emotionally intense colour and associated with high quality.

The high-quality association of the colour red and the ideal naming of the swatch ‘merlot’ is what encouraged me to theme the magazine around wine, for audiences who are captivated in all things luxurious and elegant. As well, current wine magazines do not have specific characteristic or meaning and lack of a strong brand image.

The association of the colour red with blood and danger provided the opportunity to give the magazine a feeling of promiscuity and mystery. This allows the audience, who will mainly be adults, to escape their normal lives and experience the mystery and thrill associated with themes that are commonly found only in novels and books.

The smoking wine bottle on the front cover concept (previous page) is meant to represent a smoking barrel of a gun, to support the theme mystery and danger within a wine context.

The wine ring is a play on a blood mark that has been left from a dead body, further supporting the mystery theme.

Final Outcome

The following pages are the end results produced for the Merlot Red magazine. Each page follows the category of a wine magazine, whilst successfully following a theme of mystery with elegance.

The designed magazine is intended to be published monthly, providing readers with a variety of information surrounding wine, including global destinations, food and author reviews.