OUGD404 - Study Task 08 - What is a Book? - Typesetting

Study task 08 required the re-typesetting of Lewis Carroll's 'A Mouse's Tale' using two approaches - one a modernist approach and the other a post-modernist approach. 

A Mouse's Tale is a concrete poem which appears in Carroll's novel Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. In the tale, the Mouse explains how a cur (mongrel dog) called Fury plotted to condemn it to death by serving as both judge and jury. Carroll's typesetting of the poem, which is undoubtedly post-modernist, is inspired by Alice's misunderstanding of the Mouse as he speaks of his tale, his recounted story however Alice think he is taking about his tail, leading her to imagine the story in the twisting tail-like shape. 

Carroll's Original Concrete Poem.

Modernist Typesetting

Design Decisions:

• Use of only two type sizes, the smaller exactly half the point size of the larger (Massimo Vignelli Ideology)
•  Line lengths that contain 45 to 65 characters for maximum legibility. (Fassett's Theorem of Legible Line Length)
• Maximum readability achieved via flush left type which is the easiest formatting to read as the gaze has one starting point and clear, distinct line-ends due to the rag and un-justified line. (Massimo Vignelli)
• Helvetica - modernist, sans-serif typeface.

Post-modernist Typesetting 

To achieve a post-modernist resolution to the typesetting of Carroll's 'A Mouse's Tale,' I manipulated adjectives to visually represent their word, including 'long,' 'turning,' 'down' and 'puzzling.' These manipulations visually communicate the words enhancing the effect reading has on the reader, forcing them to physically act out the words via the gaze.

This typesetting directly challenges modernist master Massimo Vignelli's view as he said 'I can write the word 'dog' with any typeface, and it doesn't have to look like a dog. But there are people who, when they write 'dog' think it should bark, you know?'

OUGD404 - Study Task 07 - What is a Book? - Folds

'Fold'

1. To bend (something flexible and relatively flat) over on itself so that one part of it covers another.

We use folds to alter paper size, form layout sectors and creating engaging formats for the deliverance of visual information. Despite there being endless possibilities when it comes to folds, there are an established range that have found themselves as 'standard' due to popular use and functionality potential. Some of these are documented below:


Basic/Single Fold

The basic/single fold is exactly what it sounds like, a piece of paper folded once down the centre. Although simple, this fold is the most typically used in the production of books. For example, multiple sheets folded this way come together to form signatures which are then bound together with the edge of the folds forming the book's spine. 

Letter fold/Tri-fold

The letter fold, or trifold, is used to describe paper that has been folded twice, typically across the width of the page, to create three sections. Most commonly used to scale down paper to fit in standard envelopes and also in leaflet production.

Concertina

 

A concertina fold, also known as a zig-zag fold, accordion fold or z-fold, is a continuous parallel folding of brochures and similar printed material in an accordion-like fashion, that is with folds alternatively made to the front and back in zig-zag folds. As folded sectors do not nest (as in Letter Folds) panels can be the same size. Seen from above, concertina folds resemble a Z, an M or series of zigs and zags.

Gate Fold

A gate fold is a sheet of four panels, with the two outer panels folding inward toward the centre fold. The outer panels are typically slightly less wide to ensure they do not overlap in the center of the piece. The folded outer panels can also be folded into the centre again to create a closed gate fold.


Guide

Below I have produced a simple A4 black and white guide on how to produce a gate-fold, with an option to make the fold into a closed gate fold also. The guide provides numbered steps that engage the user through short instructions printed on the paper, personifying the sheet through chosen language.

As the sheet is folded, new information is revealed detailing how to achieve both a gate-fold and a closed gate fold. 

Once folded, the page would look as follows: