IT Times cover, description below
This month’s cover shot on the theme ‘Open Source’. The model is a literal display of openness, and there are levels of meaning under the surface. Three metaphors are embedded in the image, representing Microsoft Windows, Apple, and Free/Open Source Software.
The Windows level is the … window, modeled after René Magritte’s ‘Telescope’. The window shows the Colombo sky from the Leisure Times balcony. Much thanks to Deshan Tennekoon for his vital input on this design. Windows (or any OS) literally shows you the world outside. Within the window there is another Magritte painting – ‘Son of Man’. This man with an apple in front of his face represents… Apple. Both pioneers have shown many things to many people, but they are still very closed systems. The most basic wall they put up is affordability, which is why Rupees paper the walls.
Finally, Thilini represents Free and Open Source Software. Actually, each item of clothing has meaning, as you can read on page 28. In contrast to the buttoned up world of proprietary computing she is more… open.
Publishing a magazine is hard, but fun. Desh asked me why I was going into meatspace, and I guess the best answer that i have is that its fun. There’s a lot of waking up and running around and working with other people (not usually my thing), but in this case I enjoy it. The design part alone is a lot more free than Web Design. I can work with high quality images and control the exact layout of stuff, which isn’t possible using straight code over multiple browsers. All of which is to say, I’ve started editing the magazine IT Times and the first issue has gone to press. Still another week of harassing the print to run my job, but at least one part is done. This contains a (temporary) download of the entire mag and a description of the process.
This was an odd way to do it. One can actually print directly from PDF, called printing to plate, but my publisher doesn’t seem to have/use the facilities. Instead what we have is a dangerously human work-around.
# Layout pages in Adobe InDesign (lovely)
# Export each page as a seperate PDF
# Create another InDesign file of the form, that is a layout the size of 4 full pages
# Embed (Ctrl-D) the PDFs into their appropriate place on the form. Two are upside down, and the order is all jumbled
# Print the forms to Postscript (PS) using the Kantana driver
# Put the PS files on a external hard-disk and run to the printers
# Load the PS files onto the printers ancient Macintosh
# Wait 1 hour
# Come back and look at the roaming (preview)
# Print files to film (each page gets 4 transparent sheets, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and blacK)
# Dunno yet, have to do Monday
Next time it’ll be easier, as all I have to do is put 56 pdfs numbered 01 thru 56 into the forms folder, and the document will update itself. This time I fucked it up many times, including once where I had an extra 5mm internal bleed (margin) which moved the entire publication over 5mm. Had to cancel the film printing and waste like 10 expensive sheets. Mara fuck.
As another story, as I was running around I had a red felt marker in my pocket. I’m in the printer’s output office and someone asks me why my pants are red. I’m like wtf, and I look back to see a big red leak on my right thigh. Finish copying the PS files and run upstairs. Empty out the contents of my pockets (wallet, hard-disk, camera, phone, piece of cake) and go take my pants off in the bathroom. Standing their pantless and scrubbing away when I take a step back to look at my handiwork. Now all the water has spread the red all down the back of my pants and it looks I’m bleeding out my ass. I go home to change.
er, anyways, I’m releasing a full (web compressed) PDF of the issue for a couple of days. I think I could release it indefinitely. I spent a lot of time finding, clearing, and optimizing really high resolution images for the mag, and those are lost in the press version. I think the print version is an entirely different experience because of the quality, and I don’t really care about locking information down. Would talk more, but been travelling to and from Hambantota since 3 in the morning (unrelated) and need some sleeeeep.
Congrats to all involved. Who is your target market?
Dude, like IT Times sucks! :D
Damn, with imagery like this its so easy to like free & open source .. :). I have to read page 28 to see what the logic is!
like the design. :-) especially the bar code. :-)
so far this mag has been more or less crap imo. ppl bought is mainly for the free cd with open source software. hope there is a noticeable change in october issue.
Lonely geeks who haven’t seen a woman in years. Also try to think of my aunt and people who simply want more IT Literacy without be confused/bored shitless.
the mag is completely leveled and redone
sorta kinda uncomfortable by the free open source link to a nice looking female (free? open source?). a little disturbed at how this presumably/hopefully forward-thinking IT mag steered by a presumablyhopefully forward-thinking team still ended up using such a – for lack of a better fit – backward image for the all-important first issue standard-setting cover. could’ve been classier. good luck nonetheless – good work so far :)
sorry – didn’t realize this wasn’t a first issue. comment still stands.
we need more boooooobs.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
we have etc-update, guess the distro!!!!!!!!!! ;)
Duuuuuude!
I told you so. Me and the angryfeminist brigade are readying our sabres and torches.
Who’s the girl?:)
and umm..why is she wearing a cis tie!?
looks really professional, i like the clean look and simple colour scheme, good luck with the upcoming issues
the model is Thilini from Impakt Models, which is a quite a professional agency. As for the angry feminist brigade, not exactly the target audience so not uber-worried. Mmmm, don’t know what a CIS tie looks like, and the cover has a simple cover scheme because of Deshan, I originally had a retinal explosion of colour money.
thanks for all the support and criticism everybody,
the bar code is fine… but the bra code can improve… :D
Hey – she’s a doll & she’s got everyone’s attention – nothing wrong with that… Us Sri Lankan women are sexy, even the black, hariy, ugly, Tamil ones!!!
Hi
just posted a comment on ur ABOUT page. Anyway looks really good…i am new to ur blog and enjoyed reading few posts…will be visiting regularly…
Praksh
you, sir, are fucking funny. had a good laugh while procrastinating for a paper.
hope all is well in the SL.
Well, first of all, I dont think its just the lonely geek who would consider buying it because its certainly appealing enough (at least on a quick flip through) to make me wanna buy it, and I’m neither lonely nor a geek. I like looking at pretty things, like most people and the hottie on the cover certainly helps.
And surely, feminism shouldnt have to mean bulky clothes and acting camera shy.. I like to think that feminism is also about having the balls to take it off and strike a pose if you want to. If you got it, you should bloody well flaunt it. Of course now I’m going into controversial territory and have no desire to get into some socio-political debate so will trot off having said my two cents.
great work. looks promising. good luck !
Hey man, love the layout and the concept but the only thing i’m concerned about is the look on the models face. There is a very fine line when it comes to empowering a woman on a cover of a magazine, her face is a lil emotionless i think which is not a good thing when she covers practicaly half of the space. All in all a very good job, good graphics! Would be interesting to see what the next cover looks like, this would be a hard act to follow..
yeah, not uber happy with the photographer. Tell me if you can recommend anyone.
Nuh, the lighting, shadows and photography in general looks great, its the look on her face thats the issue. Who did you use for this particular shot? I think the only photographer that does a good job with models is Rohan, his number is [indi: removed num for his privacy]. Tell him you are a good buddy of mine and he’ll make an extra effort to get the exact shot u need. Its more direction thats needed when it comes to working with photographers. Luxman Nadaraja and Dominic specialize in object and scenery photography, they are great with their lighting and shadows but don’t do too well with models.
Cheers
DK
It’s sad that the only way you can visually interpret openness is by showing a woman in the process of taking her clothes off. You never cease to surprise me with the depths to which you are willing to sink and your ability to express your inability to articulate yourself in the visual medium.
I’m not talking about being politically correct here, but about creativity and creative visual expression.
Fcuk off! morquendi!!!!!!!!!!!!
dnt tell anything to indi…
i swear by the sweet mother of all gods that I will kill you LTTE worshiper into pieces!!
fcuk your own fcking space m.fckuer!!!
man , you are disturbd and fcking every damn thing on the net!!!
i went to your blog . all i saw was some black dumb shit with a punisher the movie wallpaper as a watermark!
now you trying to reach us , the pros how to b creative ????
get a life u idiot!
yeah, Art is completely devoid of the female form. What was I thinking?
you crazy indi ??.. what were you thinking… a female form on a magazine cover !!!.. sheesh.. you should’ve had a big guy with a pot belly with his fly open to symbolize open source….
Indi – with friends like this you don’t need enemies, eh….:)
yeah, it’s kinda sweet though
Poooooh offf IVAP!!!
dnt try fkcing fun of me u lil B**ch!!
i swear by the sweet mother of all gods that I will kill you LTTE worshipers into pieces!!
fcuk your own fcking space m.fckies!!
man , you are disturbd and helping looser fuckwits like morquendis the dumbass like everyday!!!
i went to your blog . but its better tahn that crap of dumass watermarker!
now you trying to reach us , the pros how to b creative ????
get a life u idiotZ!
Hail Indi!!! Indrajith Samarajeeva is my freind!!!
dnt fcuk with me. youll regeret it lil prickz!!!
dude, ivap’s my friend, and I like Morquendi. Play nice.
yeah, very touching
hmmm, I think I’ve figured it out. I’m always seeing the Poooooh for the prickz.
Damn it, I was always told that if I kept looking for Reason in Poooooh I’d end up with dirt on me. I suppose it’s always better than having a carrot stuck between the butt cheeks.
That’s exactly my point Indi. Every small time publisher and advertiser uses a semi-clad female to sell everything from car tyres to pens. They do so because it takes away the need to be creative to sell your product. The logic being: just appeal to the people with the permanent hard-on (men) and you have your market.
I was just expressing my surprise at you siking to that level. I think I’d have expected something a little more refined and mature.
Would that level also include Picasso, Matisse, Gauguin, and other painters of semi-clad women? And what about the topless women on the Sigiriya walls? I’m not saying a magazine cover is in that league, but I think don’t think there’s anything base about the female form. In fact, some of the most “refined and mature” artwork in human history involves fully naked females.
Hell yes I’m trying to sell magazines, but I also place a great value on beauty. It might make you uncomfortable, but I’m not too squemish to include women.
If you don’t mind being a cheap imitation…
“even the black, hariy, ugly, Tamil ones” Now what kind of statement is that? You telling me that all the Black hairy and ugly women are TAMILS????????
I am not against sinhalese but i totally disagree with that kinda Statemet and i sure there are 1000’s out there who would agree with me. Well there is news for you …….. Next time you walk around SL and sopt a good looking woman ask her if she is a sinhales or a tamil so your homework gal and mind your words the next time you make a statement like this…..
yeah, glad someone called that. Tamil girls are plenty hot, i like the ones in the movies with the dancing Prabhakarans. Mmm, I think we might be back in the same boat again.
I think he has done this issue with class even though it is with a opensource girl. Being some one who is involved with opensource a lot I truly think that he has put forward the opensource idea really well. There is always a limit, and this time he is very much inside the limit. Good work man.
Cool mag!!
Now its far better than the previouse issues. They were lame a sever. Even the graphic design sucked. But the october issue simply “Rocks”! i have no more words in my vocab to explain the standard of it..its so so cool. Especially the contnets page(index), where there are image strips, and on the very next page the description.
Even the articles were written in a very very attractive and interesting way, that caused me to read the same articals many a time (esp the GTA San Andreas)! In contrast to the last issues, this time there is a HUUUUUUUUUUUGE improvemnet. for the first time in my life i am PROUD to be a silankan!!
Just keep up the good work, and Congratulations!
She is not wearing the CIS tie…the CIS tie is not RED!!!
hmmm – so this is the breeding ground for all the morq/tamil/hate brigade who also just happen to be “indi’s friends” (dextr)
they say misery keeps it’s own company…
as a rule we do have a double standard with our women – we prefer them covered up but are happy to see others in the nick. I guess Indi is just trying to even out the balance.
every second comment does not show but indi you could show some leadership by sorting out indis friends and the others like him. something I note you don’t do.
Being associated with the UNP – supposedly a party for peace, and … supposedly not anti-Tamil.
racism’s a bit of a stretch, but keep reaching.
Somehow you’ve jumped from a) one random crazy comment to b) me being irresponsible to c) me being racist and finally to d) the entire UNP being racist. Like I said, a bit of a stretch, but you don’t write in ALL CAPS or use too many exclamation points. Your point is immature and unreasoned, but extra points for grammar.
Racism’s a pretty serious accusation, and you have nothing to back it up.
Congratulations Indi, excellent piece of marketing.
The whole purpose in marketing is to draw attention, to get people talking. This is why fashion designers come up with wierd and impractical creations for the catwalk – they are there to draw attention to the designer.
Judging by the chatter on this blog, it is certainly working.
As someone once said, no publicity is bad publicity…
Pretty neat post! about that Tamil girl is weird comment… I should say that I’ve come across thousands of Singale’s girls and never found one better looking then our tamils.
Eeerrrrr…………Our Tamils? Whos’ are you talking about? Yours or mine?
er…. whats happening to this magazine.. havent seen it in bookshops for while :-S