Brief
Here is the brief:
For this brief I need to think about where I am right now in terms of the design that I like, the kind of design I want to do and reflect on what I have learnt this year and how it has shaped me as a learner, individual and designer, and turn that into an information pack, combining theory and practice.
I've always been interested in being sustainable and ethical so I would want the stock and printing to reflect that, as well as the content. I have realised that I really like editorial design, even though I thought I would like packaging design so I want to include that in the pack as that has been a big part of learning who I am this year.
I also feel like I am getting more of a visual identity, so I want that to be reflected in the aesthetics. I usually use a limited colour palette and simple, digital illustrations so I want to stick to this throughout the product.
As I am interested in editorial and packaging, I know that I want to produce a book of some kind, as well as some way of packaging it, as this reflects what I want to do.
Spider Diagrams
I then started the brief by doing a spider diagram answering the questions that are mentioned on the brief. I think that this is necessary to think about what to include in the brief, as they aren't things I can research as there are about myself.
As I was writing out the things that I wanted to include and things that I had learned from previous briefs, I decided that I wanted to create a concertina booklet.
I have started to really like editorial design this year, and so wanted to create a book, but I didn't want to do a hardcover bind or saddle stitch as I have already done two of those this year. Although I have done concertina leaflets, I haven't done a booklet one yet, so thought it would be fun to try. Also, I have an idea of cutting a circle out of each right hand page to reveal something beneath it, so this type of bind would be appropriate.
I have also realised that I don't want this pack to be more directed to potential employers, as a self promotion pack, but more focusing on how I have progressed on the course, and the different things that have impacted me. I think this is more relevant to me right now as I have gone in different directions than I thought I would have before I started the course, and I want the pack to reflect that.
Layout
As I had thought about what I wanted to include, I started doing some sketches of how I wanted it to look:
I first did a prototype of the concertina book, with the exact measurements that I wanted, so I knew how many pieces of paper I would need, and how big the paper size would be that I was printing on:
So I don't waste the circles that I'm going to cut out in the middle, I am going to use them as the business cards.
I then did sketches of how I wanted the pages to look inside the book:
I am also creating a sleeve for the book to go in, so here is the net for that and exact size
Printing
I also wanted the production of it to be as sustainable as possible, as I am interested in that as a designer. I went on the website lovelyasatree and got some information on the best kind of printing:
And paper:
Bodycopy
I wrote all the bodycopy for each page, to speed things along when designing.
Everything I have decided to include is something that I have learnt this year, and has impacted on my work and how I see myself as a designer. I have decided to order it how I think I've learnt things chronologically, so you can see my progression and journey on the course.
Introduction
This book gives an insight to what I have learnt this year and how it has informed me as a designer, learner and individual.
I first came onto the course adamant that I was going into food packaging and papercutting, but a lot has changed since then and I am enjoying and learning things I never thought I would have.
I’ve realised that the things I feel strongly about can be reflected throughout my practice and that is what I hope to achieve as a designer.
Papercutting
The Summer brief from last year was to create an alphabet about myself, and I did it through papercutting. I was really proud of the set and thought my career would be doing papercuts. However, I haven't done any since then, and I have realised that there is so much more out there in graphic design that I can do which has a purpose and can send out a message to more people.
Typewriter/Monospaced Font
After creating a Partner's Typeface I realised how much I admire monospaced letterforms, which originate from when typewriter's were invented. I really enjoyed creating my own, and now I use Courier a lot when designing. I would like to create more as I don't think there are enough good monospaced fonts. I would also like to update the font I designed and make it into a working typeface with an uppercase letters and punctuation.
Gender Equality
After the Message and Delivery brief, not only did I learn about packaging for transportation, I realised how strongly I feel about gender equality. I think it is such a big issue that isn't addressed enough, which I think is definitely reflected in my work and how I view other designers work. It is a theme I want to address more directly as I find it very interesting and something that people need to be more aware of.
Ethics
It saddens me and makes me feel guilty when I hear about the environment being damaged, animals losing their habitats or being hunted and small businesses closing down. So this is why I want to be more ethical within design by using the most sustainable resources, designing for charities and buying locally. It is definitely something I want to learn more about in the future.
Designing for Children
While working on the Get More People To Read brief, I realised when researching children's packaging how much I loved looking at it and how interesting it is. It also annoyed me to see gender stereotypes being used, targeting such young ages so I would like to design children's packaging at some point to create something for both sexes.
Layout
I have designed and bound a few books now on the course and have thoroughly enjoyed creating layouts and using InDesign. It has made me want to go into editorial design now rather than packaging. I wouldn't like to design for fashion, but I would like to work for more serious topics and businesses. I would like to design for culinary, science, wildlife, instructional booklets and travel. I find it challenging and I have a lot to learn but I think the extent of possibilities makes layout and editorial so interesting and rewarding when you find a layout that works.
Lomography
I've always loved analogue photography, but I rediscovered my love for it when doing 'A Brief History Of...' I love the unpredictability, colour and effects that the film and cameras produce, and realised how much I like processing and developing film as well. I am definitely using a lot more film now, which I am happy about as it used to be a big hobby of mine.
Illustrator
I am a very illustrator based designer, and I like simple illustrations that communicate a message effectively. Malika Favre and Saul Bass are the two designers I admire the most and who work to a standard I hope to reach someday. Their use of shape and colour influences me in my work because they manage to create a clear representation minimally.
Packaging
Before I started the course I thought I wanted to go into packaging and it was the only area of graphic design that I wanted to explore. However, since being on the course I haven't done much packaging, and when I have done it I haven't been happy with it. So next year I want to learn more about the production aspect so I can understand it more and produce something better.
Designers
I use illustrator for most of my work, and I like simple illustrations that communicate a message effectively. Malika Favre and Saul Bass are the two designers I admire the most and who work to a standard I hope to reach someday. Their use of shape and colour influences me in my work because they manage to create a clear representation in their designs minimally.
Business Cards
I wanted to produce some business cards now that I am at the end of the year and I have realised more about what kind of designer I want to be. I have chosen to use the cut out circles from throughout the book for the stock and shape to keep waste to a minimum. I decided to use editorial designer rather than packaging as right now I feel I am more competent with it, and I enjoy it a lot more.
Designing
As I knew how many pages would be on a spread due to the prototype (five), I set up the InDesign document to be five pages in in a spread so that I could print it off with no problems. I did 10 pages in each document - five for the front, five for the back.
I then went onto Illustrator and InDesign and started designing:
These are the different fonts that I would like to use, Oil Can; Governor; Headline; Akzidents Grotesk; Georgia and Courier. I've used all of these fonts before, and they are my favourite for bodycopy and headers. They reflect me as I always use them, I tried them all out with each other but my favourite combination was Governor and Courier.
I also looked at different colours. I knew I wanted to work with a fresh green or blue as I think they are refreshing, clean, clinical and have connotations with being eco-friendly and natural. I used a similar colour with black in the Message and Delivery Brief and that was my favourite colour combination of this year so I want to use it again. I prefer working with limited colours as it allows certain things to stand out, and not blend in with everything else.
I started with the Research spread, and I've found it quite difficult already coming up with something a bit different with such a small paper size. However, I want to keep the paper size because it minimises the amount of screenprinting I will need to do, and reduces waste.
Here is the design for research page:
I wanted to make illustrations for different types of research and make a pattern out of it, so you will be able to see some of it through the hole.
I do like having two columns, but I know that shorter sentences are more difficult to read. I have read it a few times, as well as when I have tried it with longer sentences and I don't think I pause for long when I read it.
I also tried a font that to me looks like a hybrid of Courier and Georgia, but I think it looks too old fashioned with the blue.
I asked people which they preferred - two columns or one paragraph, and most people chose two columns.
I also tried having text on both pages, but now I think the left page looks too empty, and the right hand page looks too crowded.
I like this spread because the line beneath the text is the same width as what is used in the illustrations, and it breaks up the design and the pagenation.
I then started to work on the business card. I wanted it to be circle shaped because I will print on the cutouts from the book, and I was thinking of having a circle cut out of the sleeve, so you would be able to see the business card design which will be the front cover of the book.
I did want a fourth contact to fill the space at the bottom but I can't think of any other network.
I have used the same fonts, point size and colour so that it is consistent with the booklet.
I then started to work on the Introduction page:
Started heading at far left and added a green line at bottom of margin same distance as bodycopy
Extended line to start of heading
Added extra line beneath heading in black
Shortened length of heading and changed colour of line
Made heading smaller to be same width as first column
Here is the page with margins:
I changed both the lines to black
I made the heading bigger
This is the final design I have decided on:
I then started on the contents page:
I used the same two columns as before, and this time used them to create some extra space so that the page wasn't too overwhelming.
I made the heading smaller
This is the final page, I made the pages have capital letters
I then started working on the papercutting page.
I changed the heading to its side to add a bit more interest, and fill the two columns in a different way, but I didn't like how the bodycopy looked.
I move the text 5mm from the heading, and added pagenation.
I made the bodycopy into two paragraphs and think it is a lot more readable as there are longer line lengths and fills up more space on the page
I made the text the same height as the heading and I have decided this is going to be the new format for all of the pages with text on.
Here is the pattern for the opposite page which I am going to lasercut:
And here is the page that you will be able to see through the pattern:
This is what the first three pages look like:
Here is the what the first document looks like
Now onto the second document.
As I am using the same layout I used for the papercutting page for every page with bodycopy on, it is easy just to recreate it. The only change that will happen on each page is the gap between the two paragraphs - it will change depending on the text so that it is more readable, and sentences won't be broken up.
Here is the dps, and I wanted the circle to act as an envelope as I did the project about gender equality in the mailshot brief, and I will cut out with a scalpel once screenprinted the edges so that you can open it up.
Here is ethical design:
Here is the illustration for the monospaced type page - it is my own font that I have mentioned in the bodycopy.
Here is the finished design for the second document:
Now onto the third document.
This is the page for designing for children.
This is the opposite page to that, and when cut out there will only be the part of the giraffe which is outside the circle showing. Then the inner page will have the rest of the giraffe. This is one of the illustrations I made from the Get More People To Read brief when I realised that I liked designing for children, which is why I've used it.
This is the new page for Research, as I had altered the page layout from when I first designed this page.
Here is the illustration for the gender equality page, and it shows two elements from the Mailshot brief that I did. I combined these two because when I did that brief it was about gender equality, so fits in with the text for this dps, as I realised I had a strong belief about gender equality when researching for that brief.
Here is the illustration for the Ethical Design section, and I decided that a globe would be a good illustration to do because not only is it circle (so will look good within the cut out circle) but it symbolises looking after the world (as it will also be printed in the green) which is what ethical design is about to me.
Here is the full spread for the third document:
Now onto the fourth document
Here is the editorial design page
Here is the lomography page
Here is the inside of the children's page, and will work with the other page with the giraffe design on
Here is the fourth document spread:
Now onto the fifth document
Here is the designers page
Here is the packaging page
Here is the inside to the editorial design page. I decided to do lots of different layouts, because it is through the type and grid sessions that I realised I really like editorial design, and we had to draw up lots of different layouts in that class.
Here is the inside to the lomography page, and I decided to use the illustrations I made rather than a photograph I took for the A Brief History Of... brief as I didn't know how the photograph would turn out when screenprinted.
Here is the fifth document spread
Now onto the sixth document
Here is the business card page. On the opposite page I am going to cut tabs in it when I have printed it so I can slot the business cards in it.
Here is the inside of the designers page, it is Malika Favre's logo, one of the designers that I have talked about.
Here is the inside of the packaging page
Here is the sixth document spread
Screenprinting
As screenprinting seems to be the most ecofriendly way of printing, I went to Vernon Street to ask about it, and they said it was fine, so I am going to go there on Monday to screenprint my book. Once I've designed the book I will need to print it out in positives, twice - one for each colour. I feel like this reflects me in three ways, I can show how I am a sustainable designer, and I also get to show that I do like taking time on my work if it will enhance the design, and it also shows that I do like to produce things by hand - something I used to do a lot of before I started the course.
These are the printer settings I used when I was preparing to print my positives:
These are the printed out positives - for front/back and black/green:
I also wanted a variety of stock so I could see the differences, and have a lot of copies incase some went wrong. I cut them to the exact size of the spreads:
Unfortunately, although I have looked around I cannot find any recycled paper so I'll have to use a variety of different papers instead. This is a shame, but unless I ordered it online there is no way I could get any, and ordering online would also defeat the point of being ethical because it isn't buying from local businesses (which this paper is).
I went to Vernon Street to start screenprinting, and I exposed four pages onto one screen at a time. Neil helped me a lot as I had never done it before getting started.
Here was the paint that I mixed up, using blue green and white. I wanted it to be a similar colour to the one on the digital version.
I had to tape over where any of the yellow bits where showing.
I also had to mask off all but the one page I was printing, and do it one at a time. This was to make it easier with getting things in line, and so that the paint didn't dry on the screen.
I printed firstly onto the true grain so that I had my crop marks and knew where to line the paper up.
Then I used masking tape to cover the crop marks so that they wouldn't appear on my pages.
This is what the screen looked like when I had done three of the pages, and had one more to go. I just ripped off the paper when I was ready to move onto the next page.
I also masked off underneath of the screen when I had finished printing one page, so that it wouldn't reprint.
I found screenprinting to be very time consuming, and quite difficult at times although I did enjoy it. I think it would be better if you were screenprinting a poster because it has a good effect and quality, but I don't think a book needs to be screenprinted. As pages have certain margins and continuity it makes sense to have it digitally printed so that these are all correct and aligned. However, I did a pretty good job of making things aligned due to the crop marks. I wanted to try screenprinting so that I knew how to do it for next year, and because I thought it was more sustainable than digital printing. However, now that I have done it, I don't think it is more sustainable because of the amount of paper towels, paint, water and paper that is wasted while doing it. So now I know that for next time, and I would do it again, but only for small scale things like posters to reduce waste.
Lasercutting
As I have included a papercut page in the book, I wanted to have this lasercut to show I have progressed since the beginning of the year and have learnt how to use the machine.
Here is the design I have made on Illustrator for it, and I have created outlines so that I can easily edit it when I transfer it to the lasercut computer:
I have done this design because as I am lasercutting it will produce very clean shapes, something that could not be done easily when papercutting due to the narrowness of the space between the shapes, so I have the opportunity not to worry about that. Also, it is a pattern of a leaf that I've made reflecting my sustainable beliefs.
Creative Resume
I wanted to do something a little extra as I don't think the book, sleeve and business card is enough, and I thought having a creative resume would also appeal to the self promotion part of the brief. I wanted it to be the same size as the concertina booklet so that it would fit in the sleeve, and I wanted it to be a small booklet form rather than a hand out to make it a bit more interesting.
I wanted to keep it compact so that it matched my booklet. I tried having the headings for the pie charts on the side.
I then tried it on the top and it looked a lot better.
Here is the final content
Here is the front cover, I wanted to keep it simple.
Production
Once I had screenprinted, I tried to cut one of the cirlces out with a circle cutter, but it kept tearing the paper and it was quite hard to use so I decided against it. Instead, I went round each circle with a scalpel individually and that worked much better.
To fold them precisely, I cut out a piece of mountboard to the size of two pages (12.5x25cm).
I then placed it on the first two pages, and started scoring down the edge. I then folded this, and placed the mountboard on the next two pages and folded again. This was how I folded the booklets and it was a lot easier. I used the bone folder to crease the pages, and an awl to score them.
Final Pictures
