OUGD406 | Studio Brief 02 - Research

After delving deeper into research into Erik Spiekermann, I became unsure as to whether he had a modern or post modern approach. The expressive style of the book itself came across to me and others I asked as a post modern style with hints of a modernism. However, online sources have suggested that he is a modernist. One thing I am sure about him is that he loves typography, he states that A is his favourite letterform and he also loves to ride bikes. In the film 'Helvetica' he seems in favour of the particularly modernist typeface.
I want my cover to celebrate Spiekermann's graphic design style as he is such a well known Graphic Designer. So to gain a greater understanding of who he is, as well as his design I looked at his book "Hello, I am Erik". It seems appropriate to design a primarily typographic cover as this is what the content discusses, so I also looked at some typography books for some inspiration for my cover.

Hello,I am Erik 

A lot of the book is from the point of view of others and their opinions on the man himself. What was useful is that the book features some work from the companies he founded "FontShop" and "MetaDesign". This enabled me to get a grasp of his overall style and understand whether his approach was modernist or postmodernist. He describes how he usually uses a red,white and black colour scheme, so perhaps this would be an appropriate colour scheme for my cover. 

The cover of the book is eye catching in itself. There is a black, bold simplistic sans-serif typeface against an illuminated orange - so it is difficult not the notice. Photographs of Eric Peek through holes that are cut in the thick stock of the front cover - this enables the reader to make a visual connection between the name and his face. 

This is one of the typefaces which Eric Spiekermann designed called 'Block Italic'. I am interested by the way the book shows annotated versions as this allows me to understand how a typeface is put together. Particularly here a red pen is used to stand out against the black, I like this contrast in colour. I also like the rounded edges of the typeface, it comes across as very friendly. 

Again there is a use of red,black and white. These are pages from the first book Spiekermann wrote on typography "Studentenfutter - Everything you always wanted to know about typography but was afraid to ask". The book is supposed to be 'consistent with Spikermann's belief in typography as an expression of language and communication for everyone'. I am drawn to the 'a' that appears to made up of lots of lines. I am unsure why as the book is not written in English - perhaps this is a style I could introduce to my cover.  

Above is the cover of an oversize type sample book designed by MetaDesign in 1984. I was drawn to the cover because of the harmonious colours used on the cover. There is a low contrast between the reds so the text does not particularly stand out but is soft on the eyes. The chosen type is also very bold to help it stand out against the background. There is also a very tight kerning, all of this is to demonstrate the new type technologies within the book which were revolutionary at the time. The purpose of the book is to demonstrate a new type setting system and its features. Therefore, the book is aimed at at Graphic Designers and type enthusiasts. I would potentially like to experiment with a similar colour palette in my work - however I am unsure as to how this would work with screen printing. 

These are some type specimen book covers by various designers from MetaDesign. The company redefined their house style in 1985. This new design was in red, black, white and shades of grey (very Erik Spiekermann). Type was often reversed out of a background and the red bars were a particularly striking feature. On the above book covers I am interested by the fun positioning of type. On every cover the type is composed differently with a variation of colour shades, angles and pt sizes. The purpose of these unique compositions is to make the type specimens within seem appealing and desirable, and so it is aimed at graphic designers and typographers who would be interested in purchasing the typefaces. The consistency in colour means that the reader will always associate the books with MetaDesign, the books are instantly recognisable as the MetaDesign style.  I would like to play around with the angles and positioning of type. I would like to try and be more playful with my typographic compositions rather than using the default type settings. 

Above is the branding for FontShop, the publishing house for digital fonts founded by Eric Spiekermann. He explains the design on his blog "I have never used many colours, apart from the basic typographic black and red. Twenty years ago, however, Alex Branczyk and myself designed the logo etc for FontShop. We thought light and dark would nicely represent the digital process of one and zero, as well as the process inside the laser printer. Black and white was too plain, so it became black and yellow. That colour scheme has become synonymous with FontShop and its products, to the point where we couldn't possibly change it for a rebrand." I like the strong contrast between the colours and would like to try this out in my experiments. 

Above is a typeface designed by Spiekermann for the Italian pharmaceutical company Fidia. They required a typeface that could easily be read in 6pt. Although this job never came to anything, the Dusseldorf airport set on fire and urgently needed new signage. Spiekermann used the typeface he designed for Fidia. This was perfect for the job as it was easy to read on all signage and took up less space than Helvetica or Univers. It has negative and positive versions for specialised signage. I was interested by the way the type is displayed in the image in the style of airport signage. I like how the letters are framed, this reminds me of letterpress blocks. Letterpress is also something Spiekermann enjoys. 

The book finishes with a list of the typefaces that Spiekermann designed himself. I searched these with the aim of downloading them to use on my cover, however all of these are only available on FontShop at a high price. So I plan to select one of these typefaces and find a similar type. One of my favourite typefaces his ITC Officina Serif -

TYPEOGRAPHY 22  - THE ANNUAL OF THE TYPE DIRECTORS CLUB

This book showcases some of the best entries to an annual typography competition so it is a good source for inspiration. 

I was interested by the top design on this page because I feel that a larger pt size of typefaces shows off their detail and you can really begin to appreciate their form. I also like the how the text is overlayed to add another dimension to the design. When the type is so large it appears as a shape rather than a number,letter or glyph - this is an intriguing effect which I would like to experiment with. I am unsure what the reasons behind the design are or its purpose so I cannot comment here. 

This design is what I imagine Spiekermanns mind to be like as his favourite letterform is A and type is constantly on his mind. I like how the letterforms appear to float in the air and do not conform to the grid. I think it is interesting that many different typefaces have been used across the page which really illustrates the variation that can be created from letterform yet it can still be understood. 

This piece struck me as I could imagine it as a screenprint because of the layering of the letters and how the ink is effected. The bold letterforms allow plenty of surface area for the inks to react with each other and create a variety of colours. The print itself is made from various historical wood type fonts. Perhaps it is a celebration of wooden type? I would like to experiment with a similar style of overlaying and type composition. 

Again, this work reminds me of the potential product of screen printing. It features a similar principle of overlaying letters. The typefaces used are some of Massimo Vignellis basic typefaces - Helvetica, Futura and Bodoni. The work highlights the the differences in the structures of the letters, the effect of over laying the colours produces a brand new palette that works well with the whole design. The bold black background compliments the colour and shape of the letters. The limitation I would have if I brought this to screen printing is that I can only use two colours, so the effect would not be as aesthetically pleasing. 

Here, I was attracted to the top left hand page as all the numbers are framed within red boxes - I like how this highlights the qualities of each number. The density of these boxes reduces towards the centre of the spread. This leads the eye from the outside of the page to the centre, then across to the image of the boy. 

CREATIVE TYPE BY CEES W. DE JONG, ALSTON W. PURVIS AND FRIEDRICH FRIEDL

Creative type is a record of the development and advances of type. 

The first page struck me because the shapes do not originally appear as glyphs, the green colour is also very friendly. What is interesting about the page is that it shows the variation in form of the asterix across many typefaces. This interests the reader as it is fascinating how much variation can be achieved from one simple form and the different messages that each form can communicate. Similar spreads with different characters are displayed throughout the book. 

Bibliography

Anderson, G. (2002) Typography: The Annual of the Type Directors Club: No.22. United States: HarperCollins Design International.

Erler, J. (2014) Hello, I am Erik: Eril Spiekermann: Typographer, Designer, Entrepeneur. Germany: Die Gestalten Verlag.

De Jong, C., Purvis, A. and Friedl, F. (2005) Creative Type: A Sourcebook of Classical and Contemporary Letterforms. United Kingdom: Thames & Hudson Ltd.

Citation

BOOK COVER DESIGN RESEARCH

Not many book cover designs appeal to me personally, so I want to create a book cover that is unique to the normal covers you would find in a book shop. I decided to look at primarily type covers as this is appropriate for the content of my book. 

There are several designs for 'Just My Type', but this cover interested me most because of the variation between each letter form. The cover effectively communicates the content - type! And so the cover is obviously aimed at graphic designers and typographers...or anyone who may be interested in type. The texture of the cover has a very handmade feel, as well as the letterforms themselves and this promotes the origins of typography and letterpress. I would like the experiment with using a variety of typefaces and allow these to be the main focus of the cover, so that the content of the book is clear. 

This cover caught my eye as it reminded me of the title of my book "Stop Stealing Sheep". The green strips reminded me of blades of grass in a field that a sheep would be found. This has given me the idea to use a letterform to represent blades of grass. An I or L would be most appropriate for this as their shape most resembles grass. I do not want to use a sheep illustration on my book cover as I feel this is an obvious resolution, and it was also used on the cover of the second and third editions of the book. 

The letterform on this cover takes up the majority of the space on the page - it is the main focus. The main focus of my book is type so I need my cover to communicate a similar message. The pale background compliments the greyscale photograph which is within the letterform. The cover appears very sophisticated, however I feel that Erik Spiekermann would prefer the cover to communicate a playful and fun message as I feel these are his feelings towards typography. 

This cover uses a similar style, whereby a letterform takes up the majority of the space. However, here the colour scheme is much brighter and I feel this communicates Spiekermanns feelings towards type much more appropriately. I like how the structure of the letterform has been used to frame the title of the book - this is effective in that it shows off the characteristics of the letterform and therefore shows off type in general.

To me this book cover could have been screen printed because of the layering effect of the two typefaces/colours and how these create new shades of red. Although the cover is quite hard to read, it is visually appealing and once the reader looks closer, the title can easily be read. The handmade feel of the type is appropriate as the book is about sketches and this communicates the hand rendered style that is within the book. I am most drawn to the composition of the title, I could potentially use the same technique but with the main title and subtitle, rather than the main title repeated twice. 

FUTHER INSPIRATION 

Although this is not actually a book cover, I was still inspired by the way the page illustrates the structure of type. I feel that it may be appropriate to design a cover similar to this which shows all the elements of a word, the title or a certain character. 

I was attracted to the bold colours and composition of the type on these covers. The bright colours all sucessfully stand out against the grey/brown background. I find it interesting how the titles are vertically aligned and zoomed in, this sucks the reader into the book. 

OUGD404 | Studio Brief 02 - Book binding workshop

For the book binding workshop, we created 3 kinds of book. This workshop was helpful for learning how to produce professional books. The main tip I learned was to leave plenty of space in the margins to chop the pages down. We later took the books we made into photography to professionally photograph them. There are instructions for each bind in the studio which is helpful for when I go to recreate any of the binds. Below are photographs of the binds I created: 

CONCERTINA

JAPANESE SIDE STITCH

PAMPHLET STITCH

ALL BOOKS

OUGD404 | Studio Brief 02 - Personal Book Brief

STUDIO BRIEF

Produce a book that documents your growing awareness of how to use a DSLR camera. The book should contain both examples of your own photography as well as a written documentation.
Ensure you sketch out thorough layout plans prior to digitally producing your book.

BACKGROUND/CONSIDERATIONS

Where will you photograph?
What information will you include? How will you organise this?
What binding method, layout, and other features are most appropriate to your content?
What are the restrictions of your chosen binding method?
How can you arrange

MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS

10 double page spreads
Contents page
Clear demonstration of type and layout.

DELIVERABLES

Final Book that effectively communicates your awareness.


TARGET AUDIENCE - photography enthusiasts, aspiring photographers, designers.

OUGD404 | Studio Brief 02 - Book Idea and tutorial

I am keen to do a photography based book but this creates some issues. As I need to demonstrate so many skills with type and layout, I need to ensure I have enough content to show these skills. The other problem is that generating my own content will lengthen the production time. After brainstorming some ideas of what I could photograph, I came up with the idea to create a book that documented my exploration of photography. I have only began learning how to use a DSLR since I got to LCA and I am enjoying developing my skills in this area. I feel creating a book documenting this will also help with my own personal development and will aid me with learning how to photograph.

When I presented this idea to the group, they suggested that I could do a section for each setting e.g. apature, then present good and bad example of this feature.
Someone suggested that I could bind the book in a landscape to best present the photographs.
They said that the book could demonstrate my evolution of bad to good photography. Also, that they liked the idea of the book being similar to a personal journal. It was suggested that I look at similar types of book for research.

I had suggested that I could present the information in a post-modern style to represent my confusion with learning how to use a camera. The group felt that this would make it look like I had taken a bad photo on purpose.

OUGD404 | Studio Brief 02 - Book Research

I am very inspired by the variety of art books available in The Village Bookshop in Leeds. The shop contains art books of all stocks, bindings and styles. This is a useful resource for Primary research as I am able to understand the structure of each book. Below I have picked out some of my favourites from their website. 

"Skeletons in the closet" caught my eye because of its laser cut cover which allows you to see through to a bear on the inside of the book. I like how this is not a traditional technique found in book making. The book itself is about the taxidermy kept behind the scenes in the National History museum. I think that the designer chose to cut a hole in the front as if you are peering through the walls in to to back of the museum (into the closet) to see whats inside. The book is aimed at anyone who has an interest in natural history but more so photographers who would appreciate the images. However, I feel the book would appeal to a wide range of people as the photographs are very interesting to see. The colours used are very basic, purely white and a dusty brown. White has been used as this is one of the best colours for displaying photographs. It allows the images to speak for themselves and does not distract from the main focus. The dusty brown is only used on the cover, this cover feels tired and worn out, like the taxidermy, but also, it contrasts with the primarily darker palette in the photographs. 

The photographs themselves make the taxidermy appear in normal situations. The animals appear to blend in to their surroundings and like they would be passed unnoticed. I feel that this is to show how the animals have been forgotten about, merely placed into storage away from light. 

I particularly like the square shape of the book and would like to produce a similar shape. I also like the arrangement of photographs across the spreads. I would like to produce some professional photography to display in a sleek design. 

 "In the Garden" is a purely illustrative book. Its aim is unclear other than to perhaps look visually appealing and intrigue those who look at it. It serves more as a form of artwork. I was first drawn to the unusual shape of the book, it is not a traditional rectangle shape. I feel that this book would appeal to a younger audience because of its bright colour palette and illustrations that seem to be aimed at children because of their simplistic style. However, I feel that illustrators and artists would enjoy this book just as much as children, because of the illustrative skill. The book contains no text, just playful colourful imagery, it is also sewnbound, I feel this is appropriate to promote the handmade feel. For my own work, I would like to try and have a more creative approach similar to the cut out style of this book.

"We Make The Path By Walking" was one of my favourite books. I am naturally drawn to nature photography so the jacket which holds the book caught my eye. The aim of the book is to communicate the creators feelings of being immersed with nature as he walked alone through the countryside for 3,500 km. I feel that the paper wrap around the book represents this as it is as if nature is surrounding him. The use of colour is similar to "Skeletons in the Closet"m featuring a dusty pale grey for the cover, and a white for the inside pages to celebrate the photography. The only type on the book is the title and author in a sans serif typeface on the front cover. This is appropriate because if the book became too type heavy, it would not truly represent his isolation from the rest of the world. Upon seeing this book, I am most inspired to create a jacket for my book, it is a really unique touch and makes the book feel finished and precious. I am also most interested in a photographic book, in particular, nature photography. 

IMAGE POSITIONING & BOOK FEATURES 

I found the photographers website which featured a video showing Gaffney, the artist flicking showing each page. I was inspired by the wooden box which he pulled the book out of. The wood is similar to the trees which he was surrounded by on his journey. The need to protect the book suggests Gaffneys delicate state during his journey, as well as the delicate state of nature. He also unveiled a photograph from the box wrapped in a similar delicate tracing paper. I like how there are so many small touches in the book which make it special. 

As I am most interesting in producing a photography book, I decided to analyse the positioning of the image within the publication. None of the images are full bleed, all have a border. On every page the positioning of the image is different which keeps the reader interested whilst imitating the ups and downs of his journey.  

OUGD406 | Studio Brief 02 - Plan

Tuesday 16th       - Research Book Covers
Wednesday 17th  - Continued Research (covers, post modernism etc) & First ideas and sketches
Thursday 18th     - Idea Generation and Sketches
Friday 19th          - Interim Crit
Saturday 20th      - Idea development
Sunday 21st         - Idea development
Monday 22nd      - Select Ideas
Tuesday 23rd       - Design development
Wednesday 24th  - Design development
Thursday 25th      - Select final ideas - Seek critique
Friday 26th           - Finish final ideas
Saturday 27th       - Finish final ideas
Sunday 28th         - Finish final ideas
Monday 29th       -  Final Crit

OUGD406 | Studio Brief 02 - Brief Analysis

The product of this brief will be a refined book cover for the design book I was given. I am excited by the prospect of entering work into an exhibition. I need to consider the following when creating my design-

-Final design must be A4 size

-Product must be a 2 colour screen print (plus stock) 

-Full book jacket must be produced also "including; front, back, and spine complete with blurb,    publisher logos, ISBN numbers, etc."

The cover must communicate the content itself but also take into account the theorist and theories presented. I will begin my investigations by researching book cover design and then post modern design. 

OUGD406 | Studio Brief 02 - Study Task 03

We were given 30 mins to then create a type only, black and white cover for the book. This was to be influenced by the words we were given for feedback in the group discussion. If these words were negative we had to subvert these. My words were -

-Irrelevant -> RELEVENT

-Old fashioned -> MODERN

-Amateur ->PROFESSIONAL

-PERSONAL

-Unbalanced -> BALANCED

-Untidy -> NEAT

-Post Modern

I decided to focus on a post modern theme as this reflects the content of the book the most. I found a typeface called Orator Std Medium which reminded me of some of the post modern graphic design by David Carson. This typeface had post modern links but was also modern and neat which satisfied the descriptors. The typeface also looks quite digital as it is similar to the bitmap fonts you would find on phones and computers - I feel this linked in with the modern age. I decided to place the authors at the top of the page as this is where the eye would go first, and I felt that others would be attracted to the book if they saw such a famous designers name on the cover. 

I placed the main title in the largest pt size in the centre of the page as I feel this title is intriguing and could catch the eye of someone walking past. I repeated the title twice as this represents the meaning of stealing sheep - copying other ideas. The movement created by this also represented the baa's of sheep and seems to shout at the reader, as if the writer is fed up of others copying and lacking originality. 

To satisfy the word neat, I used a grid and rulers to centre the text and titles on the page and organise the page overall. I enlarged the word type to communicate that the book is about type and this is also a technique often seen in post modernist design. 

Regrettably, I placed the contents, like the original on the front cover. This was a last minute decision but I liked how the typeface looked when used in a body copy situation. I separated this from the title with a line of dashes to make the design clearer but this was unsuccessful as the design is so simple it blends in with the title and creates a confusing composition. 

I did originally try the cover with a black background to show seriousness in the 'stop copying people' title. However, this seriousness was not consistent with the fun tone of voice of the book's content. 

Using grids in illustrator to create my cover

Black version

Final version 

The designs were then laid out on the table and other students wrote the first word which came to mind when seeing the cover. Most of the comments appear to relate to the repeated title. I am unsure as to whether this is successful as post modern design does not aim to be legible - I did try to maintain the readability of the cover with a post modern twist.

I would agree that there is too much content, but others did identify the cover as a post modern representation which I am pleased with.

-Drunk

-Post Modern

-Forceful

-Bleating (sheep)

-Eye catching

-Rigid

-Rule breaking

-Ironic 

-Too complex

-Repetitive

-Confusing

-My eyes hurt

-Exentric

-Wavey

-Exaggerated

-Full of content

-Good typeface

-Sans-serif

-Post Modern

-Interesting

I am unsure at the moment if this is an approach to my book cover that I would like to continue with, I will decide this after my research stage.