I've used mount board as the main pages and experimentation material for the designs as I've intended to use this material, due to it's sturdy and durable characteristic also giving the publication a bulky and more tactile feel, which would hopefully make the readers interact with the publication more therefore become more interested in reading the contents inside.
After doing several laser cut experiments, I've noticed that fully cutting the letters created inevitable burnt marks on the material which I didn't like at all because it just ruined how the design looked and makes it look really dirty and messy (A) which isn't attractive at all and probably won't attract readers to pick up the book. As I've also experimented with the different laser cut options, like engraving I've found engraving (B) to be more interesting and create a better outcome than laser cutting as it just outlined the design on the material leaving no burnt marks. In addition, I also liked how it looked quite 'hand crafted' making me think of the signs that I researched during the summer and how their hand crafted design gave a friendly and good impression to the customers. I thought this would be effective for my publication as I thought it would also fit the binding method that I am using , elevating the handcrafted/handmade look of the publication.
A)
B)
Furthermore, Ive also experimented with a new binding technique (single-page binding), which enables me to bind single pages instead of signatured pages. It turns out the same kettle stitch however, has a more complicated technique. As I have 10 holes for binding I had to use 10 needles and stitch each holes first before I could move on with a new page to stitch, The technique was just too labour intensive and long for me to do that if I was thinking of commercially producing and mass produce the publication it would be impossible as it has to be done by hand one by one. In addition, it also has a higher risk of complications than kettle stitch as the needles and thread can tangle together making it really confusing to untangle further longing out the binding. Although it does have some positives - it enabled me to obviously have single pages, which in turn allowed me to experiment more with the paper stocks and weights as well as paper sizes that I could use. However, despite this I feel like this binding method is more of a disadvantage in terms of production for my publication (and to be fair kettle stitch produces exactly the same outcome and is more convenient and quicker to do) therefore I've decided to not use this binding technique further as I feel like I've seen it's limitations already and has no point of being developed and used further in my experiments and my designs.
Speaking of paper stock and sizes, I'm thinking of possibly having different size pages giving the publication a playful and dynamic aspect which may draw people's attention. However, I found sugar paper to tear really easily especially with the binding method I've used, therefore I may not use this kind of stock but probably a thicker card like stock as it's much stronger as well as it looks much better due to it's smooth surface and feel which may give my designs a smoother and clearer finish.
I don't really have much content, however, I've tried doing a design which may work the same way and logic for my actual content. I've used the word 'Hide' and laser cut it which reveals the page on the other side. As the word hide is about covering something I thought doing the opposite of this may confuse or make the readers questions. It may catch them off guard of what the sign is really trying to tell them - is the actual word hidden because it's cut away and you can't see the counters and other parts that make it up? Why is it revealing something instead? Does the revealed page link to the previous page? As I'm trying to make the readers react to signs in various different ways and talk about semiotics, I thought of using these verbs and words may be effective as they're quite simple and straightforward which may make it easier for readers to understand the context and content of the publication. I think I will continue using this approach for my content, as of now I am really really stuck of what content I need and should put in order to answer my brief and really the message that I'm trying to put across to my target audience.
Thoughts & Reflections:
Overall, I thought this draft turned out okay. I definitely learnt not to use single-page binding for my publication as it took me aggggggggges to do. I guess I was just stuck on the idea of having single pages that I didn't think of other complications it would have. Therefore, reconsidering that I think I may stick to signatured pages binding like kettle stitch as it's just as effective as single page binding but takes less effort and less mistakes to be made meaning the publication can at least me mass produced to some extent. I think I did make some progress, with evaluating which paper stocks I could use and methods which will help me with my further experimentations and refinements. Also, I really need to start thunking about my content and what content I need to have in my publication, as I don't want to keep making experiments without considering the content as they dictate the production methods in order for a cohesive design to be created for an effective publication.
No comments:
Post a Comment