Overall your response to the first part of the course has been methodical and thorough, there is evidence of you taking creative risks to see how your methods behave and the results theycan produce. I would encourage you to continue to make the most of the content of the course by critically evaluating your response to the tasks as you go along, and push your use of your materials where there is opportunity to do so.
My respond to the feedback
Pleased to hear that I had a good response to this part. I really enjoyed working on the exercises and final assignment, as I was ready to challenge myself.
Things that need to be considered:
Making my online blog more accessible
Reading “Woman’s World: A Graphic Novel by Graham Rawle”
Adding my independent drawing/material experimentation in my sketchbook
“An intimacy derives from the fact that fanzines remain amateur, ‘handmade’ productions operating outside mainstream publishing conventions and mass-production processes. The hand – the imprint – of the individual producer or maker is readily evident in the fanzine itself. This suggests, then, that the history of the object is bound up not only with the history of fanzines more generally, but also with the history of the individual maker.” Teal Triggs, Fanzines, 2010. London: Thames & Hudson. Page 206. Your first assignment asks you to create a small publication or fanzine based on your interest in books and their design. It allows you to introduce yourself, and your interests in book design, so that your tutor can get to know you and your work better. Your fanzine can be digitally printed, photocopied or handmade. Aim to design a sixteen-page simple folded and stapled A5 fanzine, though you can add more pages, or change the scale, if you want to. You can use any medium or materials to generate your artwork and make your publication. You may want to work much larger and reduce your artwork for the fanzine. While visually it doesn’t have to look like a punk fanzine, try and embrace the lo-fi ‘cut and paste’ attitude, so you’re making the work relatively quickly and not too preciously. Be creative with this task both in terms of the content and how you choose to present it, this could extend to challenging some of the assumptions about what a fanzine should look like, or how it’s made. Use the work you have produced so far, in the earlier exercises, as a starting point for your content. Not all of this material needs to be included in your fanzine. You may want to develop new visual ideas, or add to the work you have already produced. As a guide, your fanzine should contain the following elements: ● Introduce yourself – say something about your relationship with books. Why are they important to you? Communicate this through writing and images. ● Your creative process – how do you like to work creatively, what sort of process do you follow to research and generate ideas, and what are your preferred mediums to work in. Say something about you as a creative practitioner and your approach. Show your approach to book design through your design decisions and the hands-on sense of immediacy and energy that is an attribute of fanzine design. ● Looking at books – present the most interesting books you’ve looked at, or those you find influential as a reader, designer or both? Present a selection of books, or focus on one particular example to present in more depth. Think about how you can present these books, and your reflections, in visually engaging ways. ● Global influences – which books with a wide reaching scientific, artistic, historical, political, geographic, fictional, poetic, religious or other impact have you chosen. Present them along with a brief rationale as to why, or how these books have affected you personally. Again, can your designs echo the ideas in these books in anyway? ● The future of the book – where do you see the book heading? Show and tell. Try and summarise your thinking into a series of short statements, quotations, images or ideas. Be creative in how you approach this. ● How can you creatively respond to one or more of following book related sayings – Bookworms, A closed/open book, The oldest trick in the book, You can’t judge a book by its cover, In someone’s good/bad books, or, by the book. Use your fanzine to present your ideas. Can any of your images, text or ideas also feed into your cover designs?
I started by making a mind map to summarize the brief and make it easier for me to understand. I made some notes of the key points and the certain things that I needed to include. The brief didn’t seem to have any lack of information, I just needed to research and experiment to come up with some new and creative ideas.
Although I made some research through the previous exercises, I wanted to explore more about punk and non punk zine designs and layouts. So, I collected some photos from Pinterest and made a board out of them. My understandings of these boards:
Simple
Mostly mono or due-chromatic
Different sizes and folding
Bold typography
Handmade feeling
More textures in traditional zines
More modern zines seem to have more colours due to the access to modern design and printing software and quality printers
It’s obvious that the traditional zines tend to be more cost efficient and easy to make and print.
I really wanted to think out of box to make something more creative than the usual A5 booklet.
So I started looking at different paper folding. My main issue is that I just have an A4 B&W printer at home so I needed to have that in mind before making any decision.
I looked at my experiment with paper folding at “Exercise 3: Alternative publications”. But because my zine needed to be 16 pages, I tried another folding method.
I started with an A3 paper and made an example. But it was too small. I had a collection of wallpaper samples , so decided to use them as a base for my zine.
The final size for each page was 10 x 11.5. I know that the brief asked for an A5 booklet, but also said that it can be flexible. So, I didn’t think that would be any problem with this size.
As I mentioned, My printer would just print an A4 paper. I thought, I can make each sheet 20 x 11.5 then stick them on.
I wanted to use InDesign to make my design. Unfortunately, my InDesign wasn’t working, so I used Photoshop instead, as I needed to use lots of photos.
I made 8 Artboards for each sheet: cover and back , an introduction, creative process, looking at books/ influential books, the future books and you can’t judge a book by it’s cover.
Final digital design
Final handmade design
For the cover, I wanted to use some colour. I could either print of a B&W paper and add some colour later, make it completely handmade or use a coloured paper. I used two different colours, the lighter paper to print out the words and a darker paper. I stuck the darker paper underneath, then ripped off the printed paper and stuck it on the top.
Self-reflection
This assignment was interesting and challenging at the same time, as it was my first time making a zine. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to make it completely handmade or digital. After lots of consideration, I decided to use digital as well as a DIY techniques.
Although a completely digital zine would be quicker and neater, I was determined to give it a handmade feel.
This assignment took me out of my comfort zone by not following the design rules that I practiced not to break, like page layouts, using columns and grids.
Since I used a wallpaper to make the base of my zine, initially I wanted to show part of the texture throughout the pages. However due to the small size of the booklet, I thought that would be overwhelming. So I decided not to.
Having an A4 B&W printer at home was a key point for me to approach my design, which wasn’t a concern for me as most of the traditional zines tended to be B&W and very cost efficient. I believe that the limitation helps us to be more creative to find another way to solve the problem.
Overall, I am pleased with the final design. I am aware that it’s not perfect as it is the nature of the zines not to be perfect. I believe that each zine improves gradually by receiving comments and feedback after each issue. Hopefully, this assignment can be a foundation for my future assignments.
Based on your work from the previous exercises, think about how your designs within the context of the book. For example, visually explore how your artwork sits within the format of your A5 pamphlet – how the page might frame the artwork, how different pages sit together or how you might begin to develop a narrative across multiple pages. This process might suggest new ways of presenting or developing your work. Think about how you want to finish your artwork, whether this is through typography, illustration, photography, drawing or another format. Critique your work – what has the format of the pamphlet offered you, how might your ideas develop further, and how has your understanding of creative book design changed through this exercise?
Previousexercises
The future book
This poster was my original design for the exercise – The Future Book, however when I was designing this poster, I didn’t expect to use this design as a zine. So considering the characteristics of a fanzine, being simple and cost efficient, I looked as my design again with a new eye and made it to something, which could be used on a zine cover and be able to be printed by a home printer.
To make it even more cost efficient, I made a B&W copy as well.
You can’t judge a book by it’s cover
Again, I had a look at my design and the design would be nice on a book cover, but couldn’t imagine it on a zine cover. So I decided to make something simpler to be used on a zine cover. Also, be able to be printed even by a home printer.
I wanted to give it a hand drawn feeling. So I used a sketch image and hand written font.
Self reflection
After looking at my work from the previous exercises, I consider them as separate pieces that can be used as an image within an article or a book cover design. After making some changes, having in my mind that they need to be used on a zine cover, I think now the new designs are more appropriate for the purpose. After printing them off at home, I noticed that I also need to consider the bleed of the image as well.
There are two elements to this exercise – thinking about how you produce your publication, and making a smaller scaled down version as a mock up. Creating a small mock up Printers use large sheets of paper to print multiple pages, which are then cut and folded. You’re going to use a simple A4 sheet to recreate the process of imposition and folding into ‘sections’ or signatures at a smaller scale. Fold an A4 sheet of paper in half, to create an A5 sheet. Now fold it in half again, so that you have an A6 size. This will comprise four leaves and eight pages. A page has a recto (facing) side and a verso (back) side. The terms recto and verso are also used to describe right-hand and left-hand pages in a double-page spread. With the sheets still folded, number the pages as they would read, from page 1, the front, through to page 8, the back. Now unfold the pages and notice how the numbers are distributed on the outspread sheet. This is a very rudimentary form of imposition, but the principle is essentially a miniature version of the same process within print production. By refolding your A4 sheet and then cutting the folded edges, you create pages, which can be stitched or stapled at the centre (gutter) to form a rudimentary book. Books are constructed from folded sheets in this way, each one of which creates a signature. A signature is a section made up from a folded sheet which will create pages when guillotined. Signatures are built up in 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64 or 128 pages then stacked up in sequence and glued or stitched (or both) across the back edge to form the book block, which is then bound to the cover.
Creating a full scale mock up To create an A5 pamphlet with 16 pages take four A4 sheets together, and with the sheets positioned landscape, fold in half. Stitching or stapling on the fold will secure the sheets and form your publication. Additional pages can be added, but there is a finite number that can be slotted together before you notice how the folded pages start to stick out from the non-folded edge. This can be remedied by trimming the edges of your pages. For professional book designers working on large publications, this process needs to be taken through binding choices, and carefully adjusting page designs across the whole document. Number each of your sixteen pages from front to back cover. Unpack the document and notice how the relationship of the numbers on the front and back of each sheet. For example, 1 and 16 should be alongside each other, with 2 and 15 on the reverse. These numbers dictate where your content will go, and how this content needs to be printed, and are known as ‘printers pairs’. Translating your DTP artwork, which has been produced in chronological order, 1-16, into the format needed to print your publication, is known as pagination. Commercially, printers often undertake this work, but as designers, it is also useful to understand how pagination works. A simple way to approach this, is by taking the overall number of pages (often including the covers), and add one. So for your sixteen page booklet the magic number is 17. Go back to your mock up and add up your page numbers – each of your spreads should add to 17. Critiquing and editing Making decisions about which of your designs are the strongest is an important part of the creative process. Thinking about your designs within the context of a book can help spark new ideas, so the critiquing and editing of your work can initiate the start of a new creative process. With this in mind, don’t leave reviewing your work to the very end. It’s a good idea to test out your ideas within a book format as you go. This might mean seeing how your work is framed within a book’s borders, how content sits alongside each other on the spread of different pages, summarising your ideas down to essentials forms, or seeing how the turn of the page might start to build a narrative from one idea to the next.
Small mock-up
Full mock-up
Self reflection
I have learnt a lot through this short exercise. This exercise has given me new way of thinking of a book as a whole not just pages. I’ve made some documents in InDesign, however, I have not given much thought to the rule of printers and pagination. I hope this exercise can help me with my final Assignment.
Firstly, review your visual ideas based on from the previous exercise through a process of critical evaluation. Which ideas are you drawn to? Which ideas have ‘legs’ – possible interesting outcomes which are worth pursuing? Often the ideas which are strongest are those which have depth, or many layers of association. Perhaps you are intuitively drawn to a particular idea. Select a few ideas you would like to push further. Use your learning log to record your thoughts. Now, do you need to undertake any research to help move your selected ideas on? The form your research will take depends on the individual elements of your idea. Find source material that helps informs your ideas. For example, by doing objective drawings or taking photographs, to understand your subject better, and to consider aspects of composition. You can use both primary and secondary sources of research in this way. Research feeds into the development of your visual work, informing and advancing your ideas. Document this phase of the work accordingly. The developing your ideas stage is about building on your initial ideas by reworking them, adding the visual or other insights gathered through your research, and testing out different versions or possibilities. Spend 45 minutes developing the possibilities of one of your ideas. How many different ways can you visualise this? If you want to develop a broader range of ideas, then repeat the previous exercise to generate more possibilities, potentially using a different phrase as a starting point. Use your learning log to document this process of review, research and development. Visualising your ideas is the culmination of all your preliminary work in which you work up some more developed visual sketches and ideas. This artwork can be hand-drawn illustrations, photographs, and/or include typography. The presentation can be a little rough around the edges but should show the main elements of your designs. Select the strongest variation of your ideas from the previous research and development exercise to start exploring how you can visualise them within a mock-up. Use your learning log to document these research and development stages, and to reflect on the process and your results.
Wikipedia: The English idiom “don’t judge a book by its cover” is a metaphorical phrase that means one should not judge the worth or value of something by its outward appearance alone. For example, “That man may look very small and insignificant, but don’t judge a book by its cover – he’s a very powerful man in his circle”.
The Cambridge dictionary: You can’t judge a book by it’s cover said to show that you cannot know what something or someone is like by looking only at that person or thing’s appearance.
Collins dictionary: You can’t judge a book by it’s cover said to mean that you should wait until you know someone or something better before deciding whether you like them, because your first opinions may be wrongYou can’t judge a book by its cover. Just because someone looks strange doesn’t mean they’re not a nice person.
Judge
Britannica: judge, public official vested with the authority to hear, determine, and preside over legal matters brought in a court of law. In jury cases, the judge presides over the selection of the panel and instructs it concerning pertinent law. The judge also may rule on motions made before or during a trial. In countries with a civil-law tradition, a more active role customarily has been assigned to the judge than in countries with a common-law tradition. In civil-lawcourts the procedure is inquisitorial—i.e., judges do most of the questioning of witnesses and have a responsibility to discover the facts. In common-law courts the procedure is adversarial—i.e., the lawyers for each side do most of the questioning of witnesses and the presentation of evidence. There are many kinds of judges, ranging from an untrained justice of the peace to a member of the U.S. Supreme Court or of the Court of Queen’s Bench. In the United States judges are elected or appointed. Most federal judges are appointed for life by the president with the advice or consent of the Senate. The highest-ranking judge in the U.S. legal system is the chief justice of the United States. See alsojudgment; judiciary; magistrates’ court; Missouri Plan. The role and power of judges vary enormously, not only from country to country but often within a single country as well. For example, a rural justice of the peace in the United States—often untrained in the law, serving part-time, sitting alone in everyday work clothes in a makeshift courtroom, collecting small fees or receiving a pittance for a salary, trying a succession of routine traffic cases and little else—obviously bears little resemblance to a justice of the Supreme Court of the United States—a full-time, well-paid black-robed professional, assisted by law clerks and secretaries, sitting in a marble “palace” with eight colleagues and deciding at the highest appellate level only questions of profound national importance. Yet both persons are judges.
From the thumbnails, I have made, I thought 3 of them have got some potential to work on. So I found some photos on freepik and took them to Photoshop.
I’ve made some designs in Photoshop, having my thumbnails in my mind. Tried to experiment with different images, fonts and compositions. At the end the last design with a halftone effect looks more appealing to me. And I made a mock-up based on that.
Self-reflection
For the subject that I chose, I could just think of judges and judges equipment. I don’t think that my designs are very creative, but I think that it would be something that can be seen on ordinary book covers.
Use one or more of the following book related sayings as a starting point to generate visual ideas and responses:
● Bookworms ● A closed/open book ● The oldest trick in the book ● You can’t judge a book by its cover ● In someone’s good/bad books ● By the book During this early formative stage, aim to be as wide-ranging and imaginative as possible in your ideas. ALL ideas are valid at this point, so don’t censor; this is not the stage to decide what is a ‘good’ or ‘bad’ idea – at this point they are all just ‘ideas’ with equal merit. Let one idea flow fluidly, intuitively and organically into another to make unexpected links and associations. Record your thought processes and ideas using thumbnail sketches, spidergrams and annotations. Thumbnail sketches are a way of recording ideas through quick pen or pencil line drawings. The quality of the drawing is not important; a drawing of a person does not need to be anatomically accurate, for example. The drawing serves as a visual reminder to you of a fleeting idea. Aim to make thumbnail drawings in the same quick way that you make short written annotations – keeping up with the flow of your ideas. Draw a range of visual and conceptual possibilities using the book sayings as your starting point. Aim to spend 45 minutes working on this, generating as much content, potential ideas, thumbnails, visual metaphors or imagined books as possible. Thumbnails can give an indication of composition and art direction. For example, how does the subject sit in the frame? How is the subject lit? What particular attributes does that subject have? Thumbnail sketches, along with annotations, are a good starting point to begin exploring these aspects.
I chose Bookworm and You can’t judge a book by it’s cover for my exercise.
For each of them, I made a mind map and couple of thumbnails.
Bookworm
My mind map was the initial approach of association with word “bookworm” as well as literal and metaphorical meaning. Book worm means that someone who reads a lot and metaphorically devour a book.
So for my thumbnails, I used books, worms separately or in a combination. I tried to use worms to make a text. Knife, fork and mouth for the metaphorical meaning.
For the colour palette, I thought the earthy colour would work because of the worms association with soil and earth. The recycled material can be used to give it more natural look.
You can’t Judge a book by it’s cover
For the next title, I chose “You can’t judge a book by its cover”. The mind-mapping for the second title was around judging and related elements, such as scale and gavel.
Self reflection
This exercise with a time limit helped me to just put my ideas down without being worried about small details. Making a mind map was very useful when I was making my thumbnails, since I already had some clues about the different subjects I wanted to work on. I’m sure out of the thumbnails I’ve made I can find some good ideas to work on as a final design.
Using your research into artists’ books and fanzines as a starting point, think about their physical or design qualities, and creatively apply some of these approaches to your own designs. For example, there’s a distinctive visual quality to many fanzines which comes from a ‘cut and paste’ approach to designing and through the use of cheap photocopying and printing. Punk fanzines in particular make a virtue out of having limited resources, no computers and little, or no, formal training as graphic designers. Use your sketchbooks to experiment with a similar ‘cut and paste’ approach by cutting and collaging magazines and other material. What does this approach offer you as a book designer? Alternatively, you can find other ideas you would like to test out in your sketchbook. You don’t need to make any finished designs, just give yourself room to experiment and try things out.
First, I wanted to test some idea on folding fanzines, something different from the normal half fold A4. As I am interested in origami, I thought it’s a good idea to explore some fancy folding to be used as a fanzine. Then I added some random cutting images and words to some of them.
Then I cut out some images and letters from different magazines that I had at home. I chose one of the origami fanzines that I have made.
I wasn’t sure about the subject. Because I am very concerned about our planet wanted to make it as my subject. First, I stick the letters inside and put different images on a circle to represent the planted earth.
Reflection
I was a bit unsure about how to start this exercise. I knew that the resources is limited for this exercise. So I started with different folding ideas, which was very enjoyable.
Browse the American based Smithsonian Libraries’ Artist Book archive to identify books that you find interesting or questions the notion of the book in some way. https://library.si.edu/collection/artists-books Explore fanzines in more depth by reading Teal Trigg’s chapter Definitions and early days (pages 6–43) from her book Fanzines: A do-it-yourself revolution (2010). This chapter is available as a course resource on the student site. Document visual examples of work you find interesting with annotations in your learning log. You’ll be using some of this research in your first assignment.
Through searching on Smithsonian website, I came across by a blog by Smithsonian, which I found some interesting examples of the Artists’ Books.
Patterns, Allerslev, Kurt, 2001.
Description:
“A followed path from the doorstep of Paul Denhoed’s paper making studio … to Booklyn where Kurt, Marshall, Mark, Shon, and Christopher worked … Printed on letter press by BBP and AYP”–ColophonIssued in edition of 12Pages torn into various shapes and sizes. Laid into cloth-covered clamshell case.”
I am interested in different paterns, so this book was my first choice. I’s nice to see that by turning pages into different shapes and sizes the author made this simple but different book.
Flexagon Book
Description:
“The Quilts of Gee’s Bend by Carolyn Shattuck is a “flexagon” book, a flexible structure made from a chain of tetrahedrons. The book can be manipulated into different shapes and has many vibrant illustrations on the various facets. The illustrations are inspired by the unique quilts created in the African American community of Gee’s Bend, Alabama. To appropriately store this book a custom box was required. Such made-to-measure, custom housings are frequently made for fragile and rare books. But this book required a few modifications: Because the book itself is uniquely shaped, a support system that would sit within the box was needed to securely cradle the flexagon, relieving any stresses that could be imposed upon it while handling or in storage.”
When I saw this book it remind me of origami, which is something I am interested in. The way that it’s folded is very interesting and the fact that thebook can be manipulated into different shapes. Also the case that made for this book is very well thought and practical.
‘Hypotenuse.’ Kurt Allerslev, 1999.
Description:
“Kurt Allerslev’s Hypotenuse is an example of using natural materials. It is a small book, only 7” on its long end, and its pages are made with beet juice, turmeric, and flower pigments mixed with plant and seaweed particles to create what the artist called “lush underwater landscapes and starry nebulas.” The artist’s day job is as a scientist and botanist, so as an artwork he is exploring his field in a distinctly creative way and finding inspiration in the tools of his trade. Hypotenuse is an experiment in using organic materials to evoke the natural world, and the result is delicate and evocative, with each page a different tactile and visual experience from the incorporated flowers, leaves, and pigments as well as the texture and patterns of the papers.”
This book grab my attention since each page is made of different natural materials. It’s good to know that not only wood can make paper. There are other durable natural material to be used as well. I like the fact that each page has a different tactile and visual experience.
‘The Mollusk.’ Amy Richard, 2018.
Description:
“This work was inspired by Richard’s research and study of natural history and rare books on Floridian mollusks during an artist residency at the University of Florida in 2018. Her sculptural work is based on the Atrina rigida, also called the pen shell mollusk, which as a filter-feeder, is an important part of the ecosystem. The artwork is both rigid and fragile, with a bumpy, hard brown ‘shell’ for a book cover, made entirely of handmade paper using natural fibers, such as flax and kozo bark. Large enough to be cradled in both hands, The Mollusk has wispy pages in bright red, blue and purple that make up the animal’s filtering gills. In the center, there is a small white letterpress book, like a pearl, bound with string, that reads a small poem. According to the artist, the piece is “intended to be held and read as a celebration of nature and a humble reminder of our own fragile connection with one another.”
I really like this book because of its unusual shape. At the first glance, you wouldn’t think that this can be a book. Made entirely of handmade paper using natural fibers made this book even more interesting.
World without end by Julie Chen, 1999.
Description:
“This book was designed, printed & bound by Julie Chen …. It was letterpress printed on a variety of papers, including an assortment of found maps, resulting in each copy being slightly different from every other.”–ColophonLimited ed. of 25 copies, signed and numbered by the artistThe book and stand are housed in a tray built into a clamshell box (39 x 31 x 5 cm.). The box is covered with rust- and sage-colored diamond-figured cloth and lined with quilted, aqua-colored satinTitle from coverTriangular book fans open, circling back on itself, and fastens front to back to form a diamond-shaped globe. The book-globe is suspended by a metal rod on a crescent-shaped, wooden stand. The text pops forward on printed strips, five to each two-page spread, to form uniform peaks against a backdrop of maps, each overprinted with textual waves. Covers are of handmade paper with twig inclusions. An accordion-folded booklet, attached to the inner box top, shows, through 5 color photographs, the step-by-step assembly”
This book caught my eyes for it’s unusual form as book. It’s inspired by a globe. The text pops forward on printed strips, five to each two-page spread, to form uniform peaks against a backdrop of maps, each overprinted with textual waves, which is very interesting.
Fenway Park by Laura Davidson, 2008.
Description:
“This is the fourth in a series of tunnel books, each depicting beloved views”
The pages of this book create the layers of the scene. Each one with different details on it that when put together from whole picture. The separate pages give the book its depth.
Glimpse Barbara Tetenbaum & Julie Chen 2011
Description:
“Inspired by a conversation about how a person translates their life experience into a narrative form: prominent events may stand out as the nameable moments, yet it is the space between these events that life, in fact, is lived. Each sleeve with miniature square window cutouts, and no sleeve with the same cutout pattern. In the form of a tablet with overlapping staggered 7.5 x 3.5″ pages. Sleeve enclosure is attached to box of cloth-covered boards with title tipped on front. Signed by both artists. The mid-century photo album structure contains text written by Chen … Her text is printed on both surfaces of each of the 15 hinged sleeves. Windows in the sleeves reveal small glimpses of the pull-out cards, each written and printed by Tetenbaum and containing dates and events of the non-important moments of her life. These texts are supported by diagrams, grids, and mundane imagery.”
This book is as much about what you could see as what you can’t. The cards position gives you an insight into the elements of the author’s life.
I had no knowledge about Fanzines, so for the next part of the research task, I read Definitions and early days (pages 6–43) from her book Fanzines: A do-it-yourself revolution (2010), which I made some notes on the facts and thoughts within:
Fanzines had such a rich history and were the basis for many modern day publications
Many genres had their own zines
Originally for sci-fi enthusiasts
zine characteristics were focused on a particular subject
They are homemade not mass produced
Can be used both in the underground scene or mainstream
No rules for typography or layout
Cut and paste – cutting from magazines, papers, packaging and photos and glue them to make new images
Sized to be held easily
They were often anti the establishment
They used mixed media and imagery as much as they used type to convey their message
They evolved and became digital known as e-zines
Then I looked at different topics. There are some great zines, both online and in print. Different fanzines topics were included: music, art, sport, fashion, design, …
Overprinting introduce colour to the selection of zine covers. Obviously, the budget was important in producing these zines. Being online, or having at least an attached website, allows for submission to the zine from a variety of people.
Reflection
It was an interesting research since I had no idea about Artists’ books and fanzines. I know have good understanding of these subjects and their role in developing book design. I liked the fact that there’s no rule in making artists’s books or fanzines, it’s unusual and unexpected but interesting.
Explore some of the factors that are at play in shaping the future of books globally by reading Chapter 7: The Future of the Book from David Finkelstein and Alistair McCleery’s An Introduction to Book History (2005). This fifteen page chapter (pages 118–132) is available electronically in the library here: http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/ucreative-ebooks/detail.action?docID=1092 818 “This chapter will examine four related aspects of the immediate past and present of the book – technology, industry organisation, readership, and the role of the state – to identify the drivers and direction of the changes that will create the future of the book.” David Finkelstein and Alistair McCleery. An Introduction to Book History, 2005. New York: Routledge. Page 119
After reading An Introduction to Book History by David Finkelstein and Alistair McCleery, I picked up some useful information:
Books are published in increasing numbers in developed countries at least, many consumers exercising the choice to settle on alternative including ebooks weather for information or leisure
Books are still part of the education specially in developed countries
Books are part of the cultural nostalgia
Digital technologies make all information available to all consumers
The issue with e-books includes concern over ownership, transferability, and resale
Authors should see a higher proportion of the e-book price coming to them as a reward for their creativity
Self publishing through a technological facilitator may be to sacrifice quality assurance in editing and professionalism in marketing offered by the publisher
Hardbacks often published first as a higher price, followed by the second wave with the cheaper paperback
The book publishing industry has become one of the engines for the globalization of culture
Today problem is more aliteracy than illiteracy, people who can read but they don’t!
Non-English- speaking countries seem protected by a language barrier from international penetration, the problem in these countries is hoe to set the price to encourage consumption
Women tend to attend book clubs and recommend books to their peers than men
Men tend to stop reading after education, but normally get back to reading from middle age
Women are more constant readers, however reading in women may reduce when they’re having young children
“Whenever I hear the word ‘reader’, I reach for my mobile device. Today’s ‘reader’ is as likely to be a digital apparatus or software interface as a living person leafing through the pages of a book. Countless hardware and software products are designed to display, filter, push, and aggregate published matter. Screen readers turn text into speech, creating accessible material for sight-impaired users. News readers digest blogs and news posts, feeding them back to users in quick-view formats stripped of context, while digital readers serve up books and magazines for instant consumption.” Ellen Lupton, Graphic Design: Now in production, 2014. Walker Art Center, Minneapolis. Given the current development of the book from printed to digital technologies, what do you see as the future of the book, for readers, and book designers? Where do you see the book heading? Show and tell. Try and summarise your thinking into a series of short statements, quotations, images (collage) or ideas. Be creative in how you approach this. Use your learning log to reflect on the essay and your own thoughts and visual ideas about the future of book design. This research will feed into part of your first assignment.
It’s interesting that the technology is growing very fast, however, we still can see printed books everywhere. I personally prefer a paper book than the electronic one. It gives me a nice feeling to touch a book while I’m reading it. So, I think for quite a while we’re going to have paper books with us. It probably would be more recycled material to make books in the future to preserve the natural resources.
On the other hand, the electronic books, such as Amazon’s kindle and different apps on phones and tablets have their own advantages, which is being accessible and easy to use everywhere. The new generation are more attached to their phones, however, because of the side effects of using screens, many people are trying to cut out their screen time.
I think in the future, we will see more upgraded to the existing electronic books. They’re becoming more interactive, images and pages will pop up on the screen quicker and easier.
Some specialised robots might be invented to provide and read books for us.
Virtual reality is one of the technologies that growing very fast. You might be able to have a headset and be able to access lots of information as well as the huge library of different books.
It might be some technology to have contact lenses instead of current digital books. And they can be programmed for different information such as different books. These kind of contact lenses can replaced the current digital screens.
Or maybe some holographic books, will be available for people to read, and you just need to have the code for that.
All these kind of new technologies need new type of designs. Probably, the book designers in the past didn’t think that one day they need to design for a digital book. It’s the same about designing in the future. It’s going to be different with the design for a printed book, but has got the same aim, which is interacting more readers.
Reflection
Future was always a mystery for all the generations, however with an emerging technologies, it is not very far to see some ideas that I had about the future books. I still believe that despite all the changes, we are going to see printed books around us but probably with more sustainable materials.
Maryam: OCA Graphic Design 