OUGD404 - Study Task 06 - What is a Book?

'Book'

1. A written or printed work consisting of pages glued or sewn together along one side and bound in   
   covers.
2. A bound set of sheets. 

Although the definitions above capture the most obvious notions of what a book is to most, they no longer do justice to what a book is in the present. With rapid technological advancement since the beginning of the digital age in 1970's, the term now can be applied to a vast multitude of ideologies concerned with the production of fictional or non-fictional visual layouts. No longer is the word 'book' reserved for physical pages that are held together as one, but can be used to describe any of the following:

• Physical printed publications.
• Digital publications or e-books.
• Audio-books that are simply to be listened to.

Below I will explore three different physical books, looking at their stock, binding, layout and typography.

1. Viction:ary / Palette 03: Gold and Silver New Metallic Graphics / 2013

Viction:ary's Palette 03 from their palette series focuses on New Metallic Graphics, designs using gold and silver specifically. The purpose of the book is to showcase and celebrate designers using metallics to produce their work and the processes they used to achieve it.

The paperback cover is made from a heavy-weight gold-coated stock, with all typographic information sans-serif and centrally de-bossed into the cover - no typographic information has been printed. This creates the illusion that the book, when closed, is a block of engraved pure gold which appropriately reflects and gives implication to the content from immediate visual engagement with the book. The cover typeface is all-caps bold and rounded, enhancing the engraved aesthetic. 

Content inside the book is printed on a matt, crisp white paper stock, at around 120gsm in weight maintaining the quality aesthetic inside. The book is image/photography driven as to ensure the focus remains with the design work. Typographic information inside is limited to a small rationale of each featured design project, further establishing its visually-driven aesthetic. Heading type within the book is the same as that on the cover in style, though is black and set as standard with capitals for the start of name and sentences and lower case for all else. The body type is also black, set at around a 10pt size, however is different is style. This type is an extremely subtle stencil typeface, very light in weight/stroke and flush left. 

All compositions within the book are balanced, yet varying in margin size and bleed. Some pages are full bleed, whilst others feature clear margins - though this style is cohesive throughout the publication. There is consistent use of spacing in between images which helps to provide a structured and ordered visual language which in turn creates a sophisticated and high-quality feel for the publication relevant to the content.

The book is Perfect Bound - a form of binding most typically used in the types of books people buy and read. Pages are folded into sections, known as signatures in the industry, and glued with a heavier printed wrap-around cover into the spine using a strong adhesive. This adds to the high-class finish of the book further amplifying content/concept relevancy. 

2. Haynes / Volkswagen Polo Owners Workshop Manual / 2010

Haynes' Volkswagen Polo Owners Workshop Manual provides comprehensive information on the car and how to look after it, use its functions and how to tell when/if there is something wrong. The manual focuses specifically on the 2002 to May 2005 petrol and diesel models. 

The hard-back cover, which is coated with a flat gloss, communicates information via a limited colour palette pf black, white, grey and accents of yellow. A tiny bit of red is apparent on the Haynes logo, which has evidently informed the covers selected colours palette. The majority of typographic information is set on black ground, with variations of the same sans-serif typeface used to create a visual hierarchy. Ordering of information is achieved via type style and size, with the cover featuring elements of all caps, standard type, bold type, all lower-case and bold italic type. Some of the type is also set in yellow as an accent colour to draw attention and provide emphasis of the books content. The cover also features a photograph of a car, which overhangs a solid grey square creating depth via solid line interruption, form and shadow. 

Content inside the book is printed on extremely thin newsprint, perhaps under 90gsm. Visual information is laid out using a consistent visual language of three columns, even spacing, set margins and the use of type styling to identify and differentiate headings from body type. This visual language is rarely deviated from. Akin to the cover, type inside the book is sans-serif and it set at a very small size as to maximise space and allow for all the content to be delivered in a sensible amount of pages - another reasoning for the thin paper (larger type and thicker paper would ultimately produce a much larger book). An informative book, the content is communicated free from any concept or idea other than to clearly deliver the content free from distraction or interruption. Space is optimised throughout with most pages full of information and photographs/illustrations that aid the understanding of instruction. All photographic/illustrative information is set in black and white, enhancing cohesion whilst enhancing the books evident, solely functional motives.

Compositions are balanced, cohesive, consistent and functional. The pages have not been designed considering style or design trend, but as purely objective deliverance of information.

As the book is a hard-back, this means it is bound with a rigid protective cover that has a flexible, sewn spine which allows the book to lie flat on a surface when opened. The binding method used for this book is a perfect-bind,  using signatures that are glued using a strong adhesive. All of this makes for a more robust publication less prone to exterior damage.

3. LCA / Nest Magazine / Issue #7

Leeds College of Art's Nest is a student magazine showcasing the work and design of LCA students as well as featuring interaction with industry practitioners. All content in the issue is created by the talent of students who attend here, with this particular issue focusing on the last two letters of the magazine name - S and T - as the inspiration for content. 

A visually motivated publication, the NEST cover features a full bleed photographic spread, covered by a matt wrap around covering half the width of the publication. This wrap around is white featuring the NEST serif typographic logo, an arrangement of the word's letters skewed to fit together effectively, which has been silver-foiled creating an embellishment of interest and process. Additional information is featured centrally at the bottom of the wrap around in a black, sans-serif type at around 10pt size. The wrap around stock is a white, subtle textured paper - A5 folded in half in scale. 

Though content inside the magazine is varied and visually dominated there are consistencies 

that enable readers to more easily identify and navigate the publication. Two dominant typefaces are featured within the magazine, both sans-serif, however one a heavier weight than the other with a more geometric foundation. These two typefaces are used to order information through style distinction and provide structure and order to the content. Consistent margins and use of two columns of type featured on pages also provide aesthetic clarity. The stock used from the content of the magazine is smooth, white paper with a matt finish.

Despite the plethora of imagery featured in the magazine, evidence of a conscious effort to supply each page layout with optimum balance is clear to be seen throughout.

The magazine is bound using staples as the utility for the saddle-stitch method, with two staples holding together the pages securely at the fold. This is a typical choice for such a publication that is made in large quantity due to the ease and cost of this binding method.

OUGD404 - Study Task 05 - How do you read? - Canons

'Canon'

1. An ecclesiastical rule or law enacted by a council or other competent authority and, in the Roman                         
    Catholic Church, approved by the Pope.2. The body of ecclesiastical law.3. The body of rules, principles, or standards accepted as axiomatic and universally binding in a field      of study or art: the neoclassical canon.4. A fundamental principle or general rule: the canons of good behaviour.5. A standard; criterion: the canons of taste.6. The books of the Bible recognized by any Christian church as genuine and inspired.7. Any officially recognized set of sacred books.


As evidenced above, the word 'Canon' can be found alongside a plethora of definitions and meanings. Ultimately, they are all concerned with the notion of established acceptances of what is considered to be the desired set of standards, rules or laws. 

A design specific definition of the word being 'Principles of page layout design used to measure and describe proportions, margins and print area. 

When apply this notion to the context of page design however, we open a conversation as to how these standards, rules or laws are either obeyed or disregarded. That is not to say however that the breaking of these rules results in poor work, more so that they can be broken to achieve alternative, less conformist design for effect. 

To follow is a commentary on the Canons of page design, what they achieve and how they can be used.

Balance

Visual balance is achieved via arrangement of visual information on a page so that no one
section is heavier than another. This is aided ratio, margins and white space. Though a balanced composition may provide the most harmonious aesthetic, there are times at which this harmony
may be inappropriate in the communication of a particular concept or ideology. Elements may
be intentionally taken out of balance to create a distinct tension that best reflects particular
content and/or style. This is a rule that is required for more conventional pieces of
design, however can be broken to provide alternative results.

The Gestalt Theories of Visual Perception

The Gestalt Theories of Visual Perception were a set of exercises of perceptual organisation. The laws of perception show that the mind perceives using four basic points of reference, these being:

Similarity: Objects or visual elements that are similar are perceptually grouped by the mind.

Simplicity: Images that are more complex are organised by the brain into more easily understood  
                   shapes.
Proximity: Objects or visual elements that are placed close together are perceptually seen as a whole.

Closure:     The brain will fill in missing gaps within an image despite visible space.

The Gestalt laws allow for visual information to be visually ordered, perceived and understood through reliance on the brains ability to perceptually make sense of what the eyes are seeing.
Separate elements placed close together can be identified as a whole, missing information can
be filled in, groups can be recognised via similar styling and complex images can be simplified. These laws, in specific relation to page design, are exploited through active white space and can
be used to provide appropriate order and structure, regardless of whether or not the composition
is balanced or not.

Alignment / Type Setting

Alignment within a page design provides order to what has the potential to be chaotic if unconsidered. The dynamic between type and image explored through alignment can make
a layout either easier or harder to read dependant on how it is approached. Is information set
top, left, bottom or right in the composition? Has a grid been used to ensure the alignment is consistent? All of these things feed into the strategy to alignment and how the design is
perceived as a result. Although alignment should typically be consistent, it may be
interrupted for visual effect or communication of a particular notion or concept.

The alignment of typography within a page layout can also significantly affect how it is
read. Wether is is flush left, centred, flush right or justified - these decisions can majorly
impact the readability of the information. Generally, flush left provides maximum
readability via distinct line ends that are easier to follow line by line, however this
may not be the most appropriate choice to certain movements, styles or concepts.

The rules of alignment are another element of design that can be exploited to best reflect
the content and its concerns.

Repetition / Consistency

Consistency of style, layout and visual elements aids a readers ability to navigate through a publication both confidently and efficiently. Page design should always be concerned with
repetition and unity of visual information. This means type style, sizing, alignment,
placement and overall content style should be used cohesively and consistently
unless attempts are being made to draw attention via deviation from style.

Grids 

Grids are two-dimensional structures formed from a series of intersecting straight vertical,
horizontal and/or angular lines, as well as curved lines in some instances, that provide a
framework for organisation of graphic elements. They allow a designer to systematically
impose order on layouts to create visual hierarchies and compositions that have distinct,
clear and considered outlined spaces in which information can be set and communicated
from. The importance of grids in editorial design in particular is significant.

Grids provide a dynamic between word and image, allowing for a designer to control
the interaction of type and image within a layout - enabling them to create cohesively,
consistently and also efficiently. They enable almost all of the design principles to be
explored within the utility and therefore are a necessity.

Ratio

One of the most acclaimed ratios is the Golden Ratio. It is a mathematical ratio that not only helps designers to create pleasing, harmonious and natural looking compositions, but can also be found in nature. This ratio is  also known as the Golden Mean, The Golden Section, or the Greek letter Phi.

Closely related to the Fibonacci Sequence, which has a ratio of 8:13, the Golden Ratio describes the perfectly symmetrical relationship between two proportions.

Approximately equal to a 1:1.61 ratio, the Golden Ratio can be made using a Rectangle: a large rectangle consisting of a square, with sides equal in length to the shortest length of the rectangle, 
and a smaller rectangle.

OUGD404 - Study Task 04 - How do you read? - Figure & Ground

Figure and Ground when considered in terms of design and visual communication denotes the eyes' ability to differentiate an element within a design from the area that surrounds it. A shape, form or silhouette is what the eye perceives as the figure, whilst the surrounding area is identifiable as ground, often and most commonly referred to as the background.

The focal point of a composition is the figure, or the positive shape within the design. Simple compositions may feature only one figure, whereas a more complex composition will present several parts of information to perceive. The hierarchy of the design, and therefore the order in which we interpret it, dictates the order in which figures are identified within the image. This identification is easy when  information is recognisable. When information is not so easily recognisable within a piece, where the relationship between the elements is more abstract, the most visually interesting and prominent subject within the design will take on the role of the figure.

Anything that is not figure, is ground. As the gaze shifts from one figure to another, so does the ground around it. This is so that the eyes are able to identify difference in figure, to ground, and back.

Although ground is sometimes considered as background, this is not always the case. In a flat composition there is nothing behind the figure, which can be identified through the lack of visible depth due to the information actually being side-by-side.

Finding a balance in the interrelationship between figure and ground allows for the image to be perceived to be clearly understood; The approach to this relationship can add interest and subtlety to a design.

White Space 

White space, or negative space, is the page or canvas space left in between different elements within a composition / hierarchy. There are two significant types of white space within the field of graphic design - these being active white space and passive white space.

Active white space is space that is added purposefully, when a conscious effort is made to supply a composition with structure and emphasis through space. Active white space is often asymmetrical, which creates a dynamic and active aesthetic within an image.

Passive white space is space that occurs "naturally." This can include spacing between words on a line or the space surrounding a logo or graphic element -  although all space within a design should be considered. 

How space is used within a design can influence how the piece is interpreted and understood. Space is another utensil in the art of visual communication in that we are able to exploit it to best communicate specific messages, concepts or ideologies. 

OUGD404 - Study Task 03 - How do you read? - Grids

An introduction into identifying Grids within editorial layouts.

Grids allow designers to systematically impose order on layouts to create visual hierarchies and compositions that have distinct, clear and considered outlined spaces in which information can be set and communicated from. The importance of grids in editorial design in particular is significant.

Graphic designer and designer director Khoi Vinh, who worked for The New York Times newspaper from 2006 - 2010, speaks of grids as a pursuit into the dynamic between lettering and image. It is his view that grids allow for the control of how type and image interact with each other within a layout, that give an "immediate boost to aesthetic power" in a design. By using grids to construct editorial design, Vinh believes we are able to "remove subjectivity" to reveal the essential truth or core idea of the content, free of subjective feeling. 

Below I have identified the grid system exploited to create the editorial design of an article featured in The Independent newspaper, identifying how the system works for this particular article, and newspaper as a whole.

The grid used to construct the above editorial layout, created by designer Matt Willey during his 2013 redesign of The Independent (including layout and grid system), is identified in the above photographs - outlined in pencil on an A3 sheet of tracing paper. 

The grid comprises of 12 columns. Bodies of text are featured across two columns of the grid at a time, with captions and additional details shown in one column only. This format provides a standardised strategy in dividing body from additional information, allowing the viewer to navigate the composition with the ease through the use of column (and type) size to instruct the gaze via the ordered hierarchy. The 12 column system also provides the composition with space for both written content and imagery to sit together harmoniously without appearing congested. This format can be adapted for any given article as a result of its versatile properties and flexible nature as a result of a large number of columns, important in editorial design in that newspaper articles can range in size and content.