As signage have become integrated so much in our lives so much, when we see signs we tend to ignore them to the point that in some ways they become part of the background and our surroundings - although we know what they are we either don't pay attention anymore or ignore them thinking that it doesn't affect us or have anything to do with us. In order for signs to become more 'alive' usage of emotive language have been used as a strategy to attract attention - to surprise, and elicit empathy from people. This has been greatly research by Daniel H. Pink in his human studies. Usage of more humorous and relatable signs have been done resulting in better response from readers to an extent where they'd be willing to do the sign/rule said as they relate to it. In my publication, I've tried to challenge this by having 'normal' signs that we see everyday, and try to make readers think more of their actions, and why they do them. I've also integrated elements in order to make readers notice these 'normal' signage within the publication. The publication is titled 'Read Me' a pretty straightforward title fitting the content and has a commanding implication just like the content inside. The content pages contain information about 'Semiotics', 'The Stroop Effect', and 'Emotionally Intelligent Signs' split in different sections in the publication.
*CONTENT
Semiotics
In this section, I drew illustrations in which readers may interpret in many different ways highlighting the main idea of semiotics and understanding and connotations of symbols. The idea is that readers will hopefully interpret the illustrations in various ways depending on the connotations that they gathered from their environment and society with the illustrations. Having the description with the illustration will also hopefully make the readers understand and think about their reaction, making them understand semiotics in a very simple way.
The Stroop Effect
I've included this in the contents of the publication as it's a nice addition which highlights the understanding of signs. I've used the words 'STOP' and 'GO' as examples, with the 'STOP' in green fill and red background and vice versa with 'GO'. As 'STOP' has connotations of the colour red, traffic lights, being static, while 'GO' with green and movement, blatantly opposing these known 'rules' this in the publication will hopefully show it's effect on the readers- either they stop and analyse the content as it may look 'wrong' or they completely miss it; they may even realise later? Furthermore, I've also used different paper weights for this part of the publication in order to create a subtle change and disruption to the flow of the publication, mirroring the disruption the readers may encounter when they see the stroop effect section of the publication. (I used both 135 gsm and 270 gsm White Frost Colorplan from G.F Smith). Although I've only used it in two pages, readers may detect the change due to the massive different in paper weight.
Emotionally Intelligent Signs
This study is included in the last part of the publication as I figured it would be effective into eliciting more action from the readers by directing them with emotive language into finishing the publication hurriedly. In addition, usage of type setting in order to highlight the motive language have also been done. e.g. "faster, faster, faster, faster" or 'Don't worry you're nearly there'. In particular, I've used the word faster four times, alerting the readers to speed up but at the same time, I've gradually increased the kerning in the words 'faster', subtly opposing the hurriedness and meaning of the word which may once again disrupt the readers flow of reading the publication as often the known meaning of large kerning is pausing and slowing down your pace - 'breathing space'. In the phrase 'Don't worry you're nearly there', the urgency is brought back with the key words 'nearly' in bold, thus making the readers move faster. Doing this showcases the effect of emotive language to the readers and how they can manipulate and make readers react more successfully through a more relatable language in which they are more complied to listen to. And, hopefully by the end of the publication the readers will attain a better understanding into why they react to signs in such a way that they do and how these reactions are being elicited. Finally, in relation to the content, I decided to use 'Helvetica' for the type as it's a neutral typeface, something that readers are familiar with and is also seen in many signs, therefore appropriate in presenting the content.
*DESIGN ELEMENTS
Paper Stock & Hard Cover
I've said in my previous blog that my chosen paper would be a 160 gsm white 'Satin' stock from digital print and a 135 gsm Colorplan White frost stock for certain pages (STOP), however when I went to print I compared the two and realised that there's a such a big contrast between the two white tones that I didn't like, therefore I quickly decided to have my pages in the 135 gsm Colorplan Satin and bought a 270 gsm stock of the same kind for the specific page that I wanted for the 'STOP' pages. I decided these as from my previous developments I've found the 135 gsm Colorplan stock to feel much heavier than it is mimicking a sturdier and heavier paper stock which I liked. As well as, the paper stock as resulted in a high quality printing finish and gave a very nice contrast with the black text due to it's bright shade as well as high quality. Furthermore, I also revised back to my other G.F Smith paper experiments and samples and found that the Black Plike 240 gsm paper matches well with the thick hardback cover that I've made, so I decided to use it as well as extra front and back pages of my book. In addition, to this, it also gave me an opportunity to engraved the title on the front Plike page of the book matching the handmade aesthetic with the rough engraved outline the laser cut produced, as well as they fact that the engraved title stand out on the page making it quite bold against the smooth black surface of the paper. Furthermore, I've also created a hard cover for the book as the card developments I've made, didn't quite meet what I envisioned and made the book look quite unfinished despite it's quality. The buckrum covered cover gives a sturdy and smooth exterior which compliments the intricate binding of the book making it more attractive to the target audience. In addition the lack of titling on the cover also create make sit more intriguing making readers curious as to what it is.
Binding Method - Kettle Stitch
I've used kettle stitch as the binding method of the book as has a high practically and durability to it, It also allows reader to properly flip each page of the book giving them the full experience of the content. In addition, aesthetically it gives the publication a handmade feel linking to the original research of the publication. The only downside to this method, it that the publication may possibly not be mass and commercially produced in a large scale as the binding method is a very time consuming part of the making process, and as it's a high level handmade method it may introduce errors which affects the quality of the publication overall. Therefore, if I was to commercially produce the publication it may only be that it'll be produced as a limited edition or a limited batch of 50 to 100.
Printing Method
The publication was ultimately digitally printed as I realised digitally printing it is a much more efficient and effective way of presenting the content, as trying to shove other printing methods e.g. laser cutting, would only dilute the message of the publication. It's also much more easier as if I were planning to speed up the publication making process as the printing can be done quite quickly helping to reduce the making time in relation to the binding process of the publication. It'll also be cheaper to batch produce the book, therefore reducing costs for production.
Thoughts & Reflection:
Overall, I'm quite satisfied with the final outcome of my publication. As I've been through many errors and changes in my experiments and developments I think I've come to an informed and refined outcome. In addition, I also think that I've answered the brief that it's aiming and the audience that it's targeting, through the use of appropriate content and production methods which highlights the content as well; I also feel that it does stand beside other competitor books in the same genre as I feel it's unique look will attract reader's attention when seen in a bookshop. In addition, I also think that I've considered the commercial production aspects of the publication and reviewed its potentials and limitations to be mass produced and proposed an alternative in which it'll be possible for it to be produced in real life. Although, the only thing I would say is that the binding time would decreasing it's potential to be mass produced is a shame and the introduction of errors in the production is highly possible- which I've also encountered during binding the book (as the front black cover is slightly high showing the content pages through, making it look unbalanced and untidy. If I had a lot more time to produce this publication I would've changed the cover, however because that means that it'll have to unwind the whole bind it would take me too much time and meant that I'd had to reprint everything again as the holes would be too big which would make the new binding to be loose on the pages, which is very unpractical in the span of time that I have.
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