Using our personal exploration in the form of 'Study Task 4: 10 Things People Need To know About Graphic Design' as the content of the book, we were asked to produce 10 double page spreads which show our understanding and knowledge from the past five sessions with Phil.
Although I have never designed or produced a book before, I personally felt that it was imperative that there was some sort of continuity running throughout the 10 double page spread I am being asked to produce and therefore I researched into how previous publications had achieved this.
From the publications I collected, I found that colour in particular seemed to be one of the main elements which designer had exploited in order to create a sense of continuity throughout their designs.
In particular, I found arts magazine 'No. Zine' a great source of influence within my designs. By only using black, white and one key colour which changes per issue the designer has created an visually arresting and 'signature' design.
Another aspect of the design for 'No. Zine' which I like is the mixture of digital and hand rendered elements in which the designer had incorporated as I believe this is more unusual than a designed produced solely using digital techniques and there is a interesting contrast between the two.
Digital Ideas
3. Never Use A Block Font For Body Copy
a)
b)
c)
d)
During one of our Design Principles studio sessions we were given the opportunity to put the principles which we had learnt into practice by starting to create our ideas digitally. I began with my double page spread for 'Never Use A Block Font For Body Copy' which was main the layout which I had a strong visual idea for as once I had decided initial look for this DPS I could apply it to the other nine design which would again create a sense of continuity.
For my final outcome, I decided to use the concept 'c' in which the title would be placed on the left hand page - with key words being emphasised using a larger point size - and the content derived from my research on the right. I chose this design as I believed it would put a specific emphasis on the content and what I was trying to communicate but also gave me freedom to adapt the design according to subject.
Due to the custom page size I had created using the Fibonacci Sequence being rather large, I found that there was quite a lot of white space within my design which made it almost look 'unfinished'. Taking inspiration from the publications I collected during research, I decided that after I had printed my designs, I would add more detail using traditional, hand-rendered techniques in either Cyan, Magenta or Yellow - one colour per DPS - as a solution to the problem.
1. Comic Sans is Never Appropriate
2. Complementary Colours Do Not Go Together
4. Graphic Design Needs To Have A Context and Purpose
5. Typography is Speech Made Visible
6. Colours Are Based on Information Interpreted By the Eyes
7. No More Than Three Fonts, No More Than Three Typefaces
8. A Typeface is A Collection Of Characters, Numbers, Symbols and Punctuation That Have The Same Distinct Design. A Font Can Have Different Point Sizes and Is The Physical Means Used To Create The Typeface.
10. Legibility is The Degree To Which (Individual Characters) in Text Are Understandable or Recognisable Based On Appearance. Readability is The Ease in Which Text Can Be Read And Understood. It is Influenced Primary and Secondary Leading, Justification, Typestyle, Kerning, Tracking, Point Size etc.
Final 10 Layouts
The aims of our second studio brief in the Design Principles Module, 'What is a Book?' are to produce a body of work which explores the form, function and construction of a book whilst demonstrating a growing understanding of the fundamental principles of type, grid, layout and format which were introduced during the studio sessions.
Using this as a starting point, we were asked to develop and produce a set, series or sequence of layouts, pages or simple books that effectively communicate our chosen subject based upon the '10 Things You Need To Know About Graphic Design'.
Overall, I am happy with the final outcomes which I have produced for the 'What is a book?' brief. Each of the ten double page spreads follows the 9 x 8 grid I created in response to the principles we learnt in Phil's session and therefore there is a distinct impression of a series throughout.
Using the various techniques and processes we had learnt throughout the Design Principles module, I attempted to visually communicate the title or subject of each of the ten double page spreads within the design, which is another aim of the brief.
Production Process
As well as exploring the functions available with digital software such as Adobe InDesign, we were also encouraged to explore traditional media by Phil within the studio sessions.
I therefore decided to add a traditional element to the designs I produced on the mac, which I believe created a interesting contrast between the two. However, If I was to approach the brief again, I would perhaps give this aspect of my designs a more professional finish.
