some new graphic design stuff

I'm currently in the middle of redoing my graphic design portfolio. I ended up redesigning an older ad I did from two years ago(first one above) and redid a catalog cover I did earlier this year(second one below). I'm going for a cleaner style in general to show more range in my portfolio. I'm realizing that I still have a lot to learn when it comes to layout and typography. A new concept I'm discovering is the use of white space. I recently read the Non-Designers book and even though the book is mostly geared toward secretaries with no art background that need to design flyers and newsletters, I learned a lot from it and feel I can apply it to my own work. The chapter on typography definitely clarified a lot for me. I currently bought Designing with Type and Don't be afraid of White Space.

I'm slowly becoming more confident with my work and I'm starting to understand some of my past mistakes. I also invested in some fonts for the first time. I recently bought Futura book and Futura bold to create the catalog cover and I bought Warnock Pro Light for the body text for the ad above. I've been avoiding purchasing fonts because it's expensive but if I want to take this seriously, I don't have much choice.