Evaluation for Studio Brief 1: Design for Print

Publication Evaluation

The design for print brief saw a variety of successes and downfalls, all of which however contributed to the development of design decision, reasoning and building skill sets for future projects.

Swapping briefs and working alongside another person was a great experience for getting an idea of the trials and tribulations one runs into within the profession. Receiving the content for a publication that not only I had no emotional connection to, but had no idea about (music production software), allowed me as a designer to focus solely on the aesthetical goals of the publication. That being the type, colour, layout and format, and how this can be designed to best befit the target audience. Hence, not knowing anything about the topic made me focus more on purely the visual outcomes, and the reasoning behind each design decision. This is most likely the reason behind the spreads being the more stripped back than anything I have attempted before. The simplicity in the design reflected on the idea that it was being led by a simple yet strong concept, thus keeping it clean and to the point.

A definite success of the project was its initial design stage. With a smooth transition from research to logo design and typographic choices that all best reflected the concept of creating this ‘mini laptop’ that would enable and ease of understanding purely its visual communication. Nonetheless, it was a lack of time management and the subsequent stock choices that let the end product down. Trying out the initial goals earlier on would have allowed for a stronger evaluation of how the selected materials responded to the finishes initially desired. Moreover the Coptic stitch bind was a tricky process that stopped the implementation of the spine design. This was not necessarily a downfall, as it worked perfectly for the intentions of the book whilst still creating a relevant aesthetic; however the time spent designing the bind could’ve been directed to other aspects of the publications development.

The inside pages utilised research constructively, appropriately using Lucida Grande and a stripped-back colour palette of a black border for the screen. The binding method appropriately allows the book to stay open on each page, and be propped up next to/ or resting on a laptop, as to fulfil its purpose as a point of reference. Added features for greater marketing that would attract the underground youthful target audience includes the stickers for personalisation of each consumers publication, with imagery that reflect their interests and subculture, as well as a foiled finish that will stand out on store shelves.

Developing considerations for the book on a commercial level, the publication would have to be bound with ring binders or ‘tough spiral’ in order for it to stay open. These could be more square in shape, rather than circular, to fit the aesthetic more. As such, this would mean that the paper stock would go up to 300gsm rather than 115 to prevent wear and tear.  I would also work on getting better pictures from the client, as the ones in place back depth and context. Possibly having some pages that utilise the idea of being online in the music world, simply to build a stronger aesthetic and depth to the book – for instance a breakdown on the software of how a popular song was made.

Preparing document for print including using InDesign and setting single signatures for the Coptic stitch, a 3mm bleed and crop marks for trimmings. There was minimal consideration of Pantone and CMYK as the book was mainly monochromatic, with small areas of colour whose shades were not vital to the success of the book. The final publication was cut using a laser trimmer for efficiency after being bound. This technique works well for perfectly bound books, but as this was bound with Coptic stitch, the pages were not securely positioned for trimming all at once, causing a really imperfect final trim of the book. With more time, this could’ve been redone learning from this error and trimming the pages before binding, however a lack of time and access to the necessary resources (such as the digital print suite) meant the mistake could not have been altered.

The overall experience was extremely constructive. Not only learning the practical techniques of how to emboss and foil with confidence, as well as how to bind a Coptic stitch; but even the initial tutorials on typesetting rules, theories and practical uses I found to be a useful insight into preparation for industry. The primary research provided with visiting professionals allowing us to see the way in which stock choices and finishes influence the feel and class of a publication, as well as the category it would sell under/to.  Both Village and G.F Smith presented a huge range of possible outcomes, and being able to feel and investigate the variation of publications allows one to personally understand how stock choices and finishes can influence the buyer at the designers discretion.