Color.

Or is it colour? 

Regardless of the spelling it has, color is a key component of visual media. In my case, the colors I use have to speak both elegance and taste. They have to work well together and give an artistic look. i found an interesting article from this website that talked about basic color theory. one of the aspects it discussed was color harmony, something I think would be crucial to keep in mind when creating a scene to photograph, picking font colors, or even deciding the color of the barcode the magazine will have. 

One theory the article talked about was the idea of using "a color scheme based on analogous colors." This is what we have seen with the magazines I talked about a couple of posts ago. I must admit I think this is a very attractive way to have clean photography and have that artistic look. The theory basically dictates that the objects being used have colors that are side-by-side to each other on a 12-part color wheel. 

In this case, it could be a combination of green, yellow-green and yellow. 

Another idea about color harmony that I read about was using colors that are complementary, or in other words, in opposite sides of the color wheel. This is something that i think I could easily incorporate into my magazine given the topic I have chosen. Since I am doing cocktails, it can be easy to put a garnish on an orange drink as simple as a purple flower. This can help break a monochromatic feeling and give a pop of color to the photography. It could be something like the green and red in this picture:

Finally, the article talked about the idea of using a color scheme based on nature. Again, I think this would be easy to incorporate because many cocktails use garnishes that are leaves or flowers, so the right color combination will do. However, often times the colors found in nature, like the colors of exotic flowers in the amazon, can be too bold and may not fit the luxurious vibe of the magazine. If I keep this in mind and consciously work to dim down the colors of nature I may use to inspire me so they don't overpower the eye, something good can work. 

Better understanding the use I can give color will help me draw a more solid draft of what the cover will look like, because I can now envision what the colors of the cover photo and the font may be.