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Project Evaluation 12/11/19

My two words immediately inspired me, as I selected ‘sustain’ and ‘environmental’, which are two themes that link together very well and the themes are wide and currently active. I conducted masses of research on the two words, considering their meaning and potential through brainstorming synonyms and what the words could achieve. This then allowed me to reconsider the two words together and find new meanings within them, such as sustaining a workplace environment as well as a global environment. I also observed online and printed articles and publications in order to study the themes. I visited London to observe the global climate strikes and protests arranged by Extinction Rebellion in order to see my themes in action. I did not, however, ask anyone questions during my visit, which is something that I regret – although I did have enough findings to complete my book through the other research I conducted. I visited my local high street to collate photographs and ideas to add to my book. I partook in group critique sessions, as well as asking people around me if they had any ideas about the brief that I could be inspired by, and they also gave me feedback about what I had already gathered and produced. I was hugely inspired by my chosen concept of the British high street, as there were plenty of resources I could use and I could easily construct a rounded narrative to base my book around.

My book initially had no white space and my text was too big. I think that I was quite overwhelmed and unsure of my choices in my initial book formats, however tutorial sessions reassured and helped me. Since my book pages were small, I resorted to filling them up when I needed to leave space to breathe. During InDesign technical sessions, I experimented with image layouts, which inspired me to arrange my photographs in new ways on the pages. It took time for me to reach layouts that I was happy with, but now that my book is complete, I am really happy with the way that it looks and reads.

I think that my time management could have been better, as I initially started a sketchbook, then never completed it – this is why there are sections of paper that I have taken from the sketchbook and grouped together to show my research. I think that I managed my time well regarding my book, as I would work on it every day to make slight improvements, as opposed to working on it rarely and in large amounts. Since InDesign was completely new to me, I progressed well by working on my document in this way as it gave me time to consider what I was doing. Submission was not rushed; however, my book would not print the night previous to the hand in date which meant I had to spend time completing the physical book on the morning of deadline day.

I responded well to feedback, taking notes that I could refer back to and incorporate into my work. Every suggestion that was made for my book, I attempted, just to see if it worked within my book. Group and individual tutorials helped me to consider new ideas, as well as giving me confidence in the ideas and layouts that I had already produced. As I had never used the software before, or produced anything in an editorial style, I was open and accepted all the feedback that I was given in order to learn more and to give me an opportunity to experiment and develop my work.

As I had never used the software before, I think that this could use more practice as I have only learned the basics and am yet to push myself. This may be partly due to time constraints, as I was more focused on completing my book to a standard that would fit the brief, as opposed to producing an exceptional piece of work that pushed me to my limits and required me to quickly learn more advanced techniques on InDesign. In order to become more comfortable with the software, I used it every day to become accustomed to it, and I watched some LinkedIn Learning tutorials as well as YouTube tutorials to check what I was doing was correct and to learn new things about the software.

I have learnt the fundamentals of InDesign, as well as Illustrator and Photoshop during technical tutorial sessions. I much preferred Illustrator to Photoshop, so I think that I will focus on this in the future as opposed to Photoshop. I have learnt lots of new theoretical knowledge, as well as expanding on what I already knew. I now know how to research effectively and I have studied some fundamental principles such as context and narrative. I enjoyed the theoretical lecture sessions, as it helps me to understand the world of media and reception and this therefore forms a solid basis for me to produce work as I know what theories must support the work for it to be successful.

I think that I have cut my final piece too small by accident, as the I trimmed the outer cover first and this sheet had issues when printing – meaning the cutting guide was slightly wrong. Additionally, one image in the book was not packaged as I did not have the image file saved onto my memory stick, and the stamp icons that I produced are slightly pixelated which takes away from the aesthetic of the boo. However, I am happy with the overall book has turned out since the entire productive process was new to me. I would have also left more time to finish off my sketchbook, however this may have always been too much for me to do as I was completing my blog also.

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Finishing Touches 11/11/19

Comparing my book layout now to my initial designs, I have made drastic changes - all of them contributing positively to the editorial look of my book. I am now very happy with the appearance and flow of my book, I feel that the text and imagery are considered and they work well together. My visual themes are cohesive through each spread; with elements of blue stamps and small sections of text and imagery working together. 

I have dramatically changed my front cover, offering more focus to the stamp logo I have designed. I think the front her now has more impact and will be more inviting to audiences. 

My insert has my sheet of stamps placed to match with the back cover as well as a brief introduction to the Dividend Stamps that I have taken inspiration from, a quote relating to the stamps as well as an introduction to my booklet, what I aim to achieve through it and questions that I will address/answer through the book.

I like the layout of this spread as I think the images work really well and I love the layout of the second image (shutters) as it is bold and demands attention. It also serves to divide the spread in an editorial way.

I added an extra image (homeless man) which I had previously forgotten to add. I included this image since it is very powerful and I felt that it needed to be in my booklet. I like the strip of stamps that I have added to the left side of the second page, as I think it is cohesive with the entire book and it helps to section the text and the images on this spread.

I added the block of blue stamps to the second page of this spread, however I think I may remove it as the images on the opposing page reflect this style and I feel that it makes the overall spread look too busy and full.

I think this spread looks mildly different to the rest as there are no photographs, however I struggled to add a photograph in this space considering the format of the text, and I also do not believe that it is necessary as the book is reaching its conclusion and more images may have caused the concluding spread to look too active.

I like this concluding back page as the stamps act as a motif and tie the book together with the theme. I like the image that I have chosen to add since it signifies that the book is complete (back of the book; back of the builder), however the narrative and real issues are still developing. The purpose of the book is not yet complete and it is now in the hands of the audience to continue the journey that the book has begun.

I am really happy with the appearance of my book in it’s final stages, and I think that I have considered the type techniques that I have learned during this brief well in the book (e.g. kerning, pagination etc.). I was initially really unsure and I lacked confidence in my ability to complete this brief to a suitable standard, however I am now proud of what I have produced and I think that my work has paid off.

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A closer look at my grey and red books. In each of these books, I continued to experiment with cutting into pages and the front cover, as well as the papers I cold use within the books.

The grey book had a dark grey card cover with a light grey card inner cover (making the book more rigid and harder to flick through) as well as portions of different coloured paper within.

The red book had a red paper cover with an orange paper inner cover (making the overall book weaker as it didn’t have the structural support of card). I also added small decorative yellow pages throughout, offering the potential of small notes/titles/summaries/illustrations to be added to them.

Through experimenting with different paper textures and colours, as well as layouts, this encouraged me to look at my own book in a different way and reconsider its appearance, purpose and potential.

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Three of my book variations and all of my books made. 

A4 burgundy and green - standard blank white paper 

A6 green with mint pages

A6 grey with cutout and various different papers inside

A5 red with cutout and orange inner cover and smaller yellow inside pages added throughout as well as plain white A5 paper

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Book Binding 30/10/19

During this tech session, I learnt and practised two basic binding techniques, three-hole sewn and stapled – both examples of saddle stitching.

I found that the stapling method was much quicker than the sewn method, as I had to measure the distance of the holes and then sew the pages together correctly. However, the sewn technique was much more accurate as I was in complete control and the stapling machine was not always entirely accurate.

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Huel magazine

This magazine is a similar size and layout as my own book, providing me with a physical book which has been through the editorial process that I can observe and use to influence my own work. The book helped me to understand how I could layout my book considering the unorthodox format and size of the pages. As the book has obviously been mass produced and staple-bound, the pages do not flick through particularly comfortably/easily as I discovered when recording this video - this is something that I will have to consider with the method I choose to bind my book.

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THIS IS NOT A DRILL

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Puss in Boots published by Little Gestalton

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Initial Book Research

When the book brief was set, I visited the library to observe books on paper craft as well as books that were uniquely designed.

The first book I studied was Puss in Boots, Perrault C. and illustrated by Clémentine Sourdais, 2014, Little Gestalten, Germany. I thought that this book would be targeted at parents of children who are affluent and could afford to purchase a children’s book in such a decorative and difficult to read layout, alternatively parents of creative children or adult fans of classic children’s literature  who would likely collect rid edition. I found that this book was formatted in an interesting and unusual concertina style, which I can understand will be suitable for the audience. The illustrations are simplistic yet effective, with a considered colour scheme. The typeface is easy to read, however the size is arguably too small to be read by children who may be interested in the book – suggesting that he book is more suitable for older readers. The cut-out sections of the book make for a unique design, leading to silhouette designs on the reverse of each page and introducing depth to the book – could it be considered a 3D pop-up book?

The second book I observed was Bookcraft by Hollander A, 1974, Oak Knoll Books, USA. This book was comprised of a concise compilation of bookcraft techniques, teaching its audience methods ranging from the basics all the way to complex techniques for advanced creatives. Artists would benefit from reading this book as the will be able to learn how to make their own books for use/display, as well as boxes for decorative or storage purposes.

I then looked at Books Unbound by Jacobs M, 2006, North Light Books, USA, and I concluded that the audience for this publication would be similar for that of the second book that I observed. The book provides basic techniques and guides, as well as how to develop basic book forms into more complex ones. Some demonstrations that interested me were; the checkerboard book, the lollipop stick book, the piano nine and the concertina cabaret. Almost every book form seems to be included in this instructional book.

THIS IS NOT A DRILL: AN EXTINCTION REBELLION HANDBOOK

This book provided me with some context for my own book, as well as offering me ideas for imagery. The book highlights environmental issues across the globe and provides methods and ideologies tat the movement will implement in order to achieve their set goals. The publication is a handbook for change, suggesting issues as well as what must be done to fix them. The book provides insight into how the movement uses art for change; “linocuts and woodblocks, the heritage of DIY print in revolutions”. This inks the current movement with previous historical revolutions, reflecting on the significance of art relating to change. The book is printed in black and white with separately authored chapters offering knowledge on various issues and tactics. Imagery is sourced from environmental artists and heavily incorporates type to demonstrate and convey the message. Although I am not progressing with global environmental themes such as those addressed in this book, it has given me lots of information to consider through my work.

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Why I have made my decisions

TARGET DEMOGRAPHIC: high street users/ages 30-60 – certain themes that I address within my book will appeal to this age group, for example the Co-op dividend and failing high streets, as opposed to those under-30. I think that aiming for an age group above 60 will require me to change the contents and appearance of my book. This age group may be urged to actively affect change within the high streets as they are equally old enough to remember a different (better?) high street construct to the one present today, and young enough to fight for change as they will still be using high streets in the years to come, and may wish to encourage elements of past high streets to return for their own benefit. They may also be moved when observing who the high street affects – the elderly and youth – who are two groups that may be important to the lives of my target demographic.

NARRATIVE: I will commemorate the various forms and functions of the Great British high street, from the Divi Stamps of the past, to the current aims to revive the high streets, to their futures and the concerns of funding and footfall. This will provide a strong format (beginning/middle/end) for me to base my book around. I will also highlight issues with the high street and the effects of these issues, thus urging readers to consider the future of the high street deeper.

WHAT DO I HOPE TO ACHIEVE: ideally, my book will inform and inspire my chosen target audience of the 30-60 age bracket and users of the high street. My book reflects upon issues regarding these traditional UK spaces, that my audience will have experienced and may therefore resonate with the topics that my book addresses.

TYPEFACE: News Gothic Std font family – the font is similar to that used in the original dividend booklet, as well as the font used in some Co-operative logos. The typeface is legible in various sizes and it stands out well enough to be used for titles and subheads.

COLUMNS: six – this seems to fit the amount and layout of my text well and it provides me with a structure to experiment with which offers the potential for experimentation as I have more columns and gutters to consider. This also fits the small size of the pages well as too few (wider) columns may negatively impact my consideration of white space.

COLOUR SCHEME: blue, white, black – this is the characteristic Co-operative colour, thus reflecting my chosen source of inspiration. It also represents the serious and, at times, somber themes within the book. A neutral and approachable colour for my target audience.

PAPER DIMENSIONS: 200mm x 160mm – fits within the brief and it reflects the size and style of the Co-op dividend books, from which I am taking inspiration. I have produced a range of mock-up book sizes and this size feels comfortable to hold and flip through and is larger than A5 (unlike 200mm x 150mm which is slightly too small)

TEXT: a mixture of my own text and referenced quotes to support – offers a personal summary of/response to my research findings, as well as giving me the ability to control and guide my narrative. The quotes I have sourced contribute well to the narrative ad support it.

IMAGERY: photographs I have taken as well as a stamp icon that I have produced on Illustrator – the photos provide real insights into the states of local high street areas. The images allow me to control, support and reflect the narrative as the book progresses; the images will match the themes on each page/spread. Within the text of my book I will be presenting facts and statistics, as well as my opinions and responses, reflecting the truth within the frames of my photographs (they are not illustrated/made up) as well as my personal response to the areas I visited and took photographs of scenes that stood out to me/inspired me. The stamp design will act as a logo/theme for my book to be centred around and will further support the concept of the divi stamps and the themes that they convey. This also adds diversity in imagery to my book, making it more interesting for readers.

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Book Progress and Variations

Initial central spread experiments: I struggled to produce these two initial trials as I was unsure of the tracking and kerning, a well as the possible addition and arrangement of images. Over the course of the book making process, this particular spread proved to be a challenge due to the long title and the format f the text. I ultimately fixed this by removing the bullet points (I tested different styles following feedback from Laura, before removing them entirely to give myself paragraphs to work with). I also added to the text to even out the sizes of the two min bodies of text.

^ three initial tests (third one with unpackaged images)

I have since produced further variations and tests of my completed booklet, gathering feedback and suggestions from my tutors and peers between each new trial. My initial two finished booklets did not have enough white space as my text was too large and I hadn’t focused enough on the pull-out quotes. Once I had changed this, I had the opportunity to experiment with my overall layout of text and images and the productive process was much easier from there, as I largely only has to focus on ensuring everything was lined up correctly and the book flowed and read well.

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Typefaces for Book

When exploring typefaces on Adobe Fonts, I searched for those that resembled the font used for the Co-op logo, to further support the style that I was aiming for in my book. Ultimately, I chose the font News Gothic Standard as I felt that it looked the best when in use in my book. The typeface is similar to that used in the original dividend books as well as the font used for the Co-op logo. I found seven typefaces, however I only utilised one as it was the only one that I was comfortable with:

·       Nimbus Sans

·       Mr Eaves

·       Source Sans Pro

·       Freightsans Pro

·       Pragmatica

·       Forma DJR

·       News Gothic Standard

Initially I considered using Nimbus Sans to write my titles, however I did not like the letter ‘j’ as it did not have a tail and the typeface was too dominant to be used in such a small book. News Gothic was the only typeface that I eventually used since it is legible in small sizes, it mirrors the font used by the Co-op well and it is strong enough to be used in a title. I experimented with using Forma Pragmatica Book for the titles within my book in order to incorporate another typeface, however I did not like the appearance of the text when I tried this as that characters looked too wide and the text seemed to clash with the body text I already had (News Gothic). I felt that the remaining fonts were too spherical in style and I was already happy to use News Gothic as I could see how effective it was on my pages.

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Book Progress 8/11/19

I have made amendments to my initial designs based upon my tutorial feedback so far and I am happier with the format of my book now. When printing my new layout, I exported the document as a PDF, following instructions that I have previously typed up in one of my InDesign blogs. I then transported my booklet as a second PDF into Adobe Acrobat, which allowed me to print my booklet. I made sure the pages would fit onto an A3 sheet of paper and that they were printed double sided along the short side (preventing it from flipping).

The feedback I have received from this most recent rendition of the book has highlighted issues that I must amend:

·      Sort out columns – not sitting right, it doesn’t look considered

·      Make text style and quote style cohesive throughout

·      Image on page 5 needs space to breathe – either shrink the surrounding quotes or shrink the image itself

·      Alter the body text on page 9 – it looks too staggered

·      Subhead on page 9 (‘Boscombe’s regeneration’) looks uneven – consider using synonyms where applicable in order to make text fit better

I have now ensured that all of my text and imagery are allocated to columns and that my text is cohesive. Page 9 has caused issues for me due to the nature of the main body of text being so small, this has led me to struggle with the layout of the text on the page.

I am aware that my book looks very simple, however I am happy with what I have produced considering InDesign is completely new to me. I intend to print my booklet onto recycled/reclaimed paper in order to reflect the sustainable themes that I have been provided with and subsequently reflected through my booklet. Ideally my paper will be able to make up for the lack of colour/ornate decoration in the book.

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XR London Protest Trip 11/10/19

On 11th October, I visited London during the Extinction Rebellion protests in order to observe the global movement for environmental sustainability. During the trip I witnessed:

·       People protesting by ‘locking on’ – chaining and cementing/gluing themselves together

·       Police teams removing people from their concrete and chains

·       Tents filling Trafalgar Square and the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens

·       Hundreds of police aiming to keep control in the city

·       Rebels marching with instruments and placards

·       Rebels sitting on the floor in an act of protest

·       Arrests being made

·       Block printing stations

·       Food stations – donated to the cause, vegan and zero-waste

I visited Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens, a temporary home to the South West, Animal Rights and Scottish branches of the cause. The gardens themselves are a community space for the local blocks of flats surrounding them, showing the need for communal green space in local areas and the benefit that they have. The gardens contained trees and flowers, footpaths and grass as well as a basketball court for exercise. There was also a Community Centre to accompany the gardens, offering a café, dance/exercise classes and volunteering opportunities for those living nearby.

During the course of my trip, I could see that sustainability, waste and peace were core principals in practice by the rebels. There were free food stations (optional donations were welcomed) who served vegan food to people with their own dishes and cutlery, and otherwise dishes would be provided to ensure everyone attending was well fed and watered. There were stations with people washing and drying the utensils used, as well as lots of stations where people could donate or take foodstuffs. Rebels were singing songs of peace and demonstrations were being held to show protesters how to diffuse situations with non-violent direct action. At the gardens, there was a station where rebels could block print XR messages and icons onto items of clothing that they had brought with them, reducing the need to spend money and purchase new items. Following the protests, pictures were released showing that no litter or damage to the land had been left on any of the sites by the rebels.

Although I will not be moving forward with this particular topic for my booklet, I am grateful that I got to experience the protests as they have shown me that there is a high demand and passion for environmental sustainability. The visit allowed me to see that there is an active fight for the health of the environment and community.

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Tutorial 2 29/10/19

Following my 1:1 tutorial with Laura, moving forward with my work I now need to:

·       Reduce the size of all body text to 9pt. and left align; I can then alter this later if I feel that I need to

·       Reduce the variation in text style as it will confuse readers

·       Remove background details

·       Experiment with narrower columns

·       Focus on pull out quotes

·       Add more white space

My overall idea and images are good, however the positioning and presentation of my text needs to be rethought.

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Tutorial 1 22/10/19

Following my group tutorial with Jeanne, moving forward with my work I now need to:

·       Experiment with text and leading in order to see what combination fits comfortably on my pages

·       Research magazines in the library and online to see how publications are executed in reality

·       Research the typeface(s) I use – useful for my evaluation

·       Consider the hierarchy of text and images

·       Experiment with tracking and leading – my test pages appeared to be squashed

·       Experiment with images – will some take up an entire page? Will they act as snapshots?

·       Experiment with column numbers and gutter widths

·       Start to build up my entire book

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Observation and the Art of  Asking Questions 28/10/19

Analysis and synthesis are two opposing concepts, yet they are vital to each other. Analysis focuses upon breaking this down to find meaning, whereas synthesis involves bringing these findings together to draw a conclusion.

KEY BOOKS/PUBLICATIONS/SOURCES:

·       Visual Editions – publisher of experimental book formats

·       Things Come Apart by Todd McLellan – process can be extended to ideas as well as objects; “the process of disassembling products requires an assimilation of the minds of the creators”

·       The Way Things Go by Peter Fischli and David Weiss – directly influenced The Cog Honda advert (2003)

·       Kyle Bean window displays for Selfridges; “matter cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed” – deconstruction acting as a metaphor for craftmanship (narrative explains the value of the products on offer, therefore aiming to justify the cost to the consumer)

DaVinci’s anatomical human sketches were considered to be ethically and morally wrong at the time they were created, however the artist was curious, he sought answers and pushed boundaries. Context and boundaries must always be considered with the work I create – explore every possible path to reach a conclusion and outcome.

Hybridity – intersections between new and traditional techniques and forms; anticipating new transient forms (trends)

Artist books subvert the delivery mechanism of books to make an artistic statement. See:

·       http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/a/Art-of-the-Book/

·       Book Art Object 1 and 2 by Constanze Kreiser

·       https://visual-editions.com/

·       https://www.futureofthebook.org/

·       https://www.foliosociety.com/uk

KEY BOOKS/PIECES:

·       The Never-Ending Book (2007) by Allen Ruppersberg

·       Elemental Sections (2003) by Brian Dettmer

·       Enclosed Content Chatting Away In The Colour Invisibility (2009-ongoing) by Anouk Kruithof