Final design context publication.

design context mock up & packaging.

Above are 8 individual booklets 6 interviews and the other 2 about print processes and finishings. They are held in a greyboard sleeve that has been cover in a black vinyl buckram and another sleeve holding the booklets.

design context mock up

I have decided to change my original idea from just creating an a5 publication and instead I am now creating 8 individual booklets with a hot dog fold, to open out as a poster with an appropriate quote.below is an example of the poster...


Inside the booklet...

I have kept the layout quite simple as I think it works better this way so that I can have images aswell which will all be mono tone.

Design context formats...

For my design context book I knew i wanted to create a publication and these are some of the formats that i have been looking at...

above are three hand bound books using colour to categorize the subjects of print processes//finishings//interviews.


above are some initial layouts...i think at the moment they look to plain but maybe colour might help. i definitely need to look at more layout.

All three books would be bound together with a paper belly band.

above is of a similar format to the ones above but having all the layouts bound within one booklet rather than three separate ones.

Design Context Layouts.

After the crit on Wednesday it was suggested to me that I should look at more example of layout, as the layouts I have so far aren't working. So from looking at other examples I came across a layout using lines to join up the questions to the answers. I think the use of colour is definitely needed or perhaps the use of a coloured stock maybe.

Book I want to own...

'Generally speaking books on special print processes fall into one of two categories. The first showcases the processes but keeps the secrets of the practicalities to itself—perpetuating the irritating myth that average ideas can be transformed into good design by the use of one special process and some fancy stock. The second type is the PRODUCTION MANUAL, digitally printed on 60 gsm rubbish that might have an 8 page colour section in the middle if you are lucky.

This rather lovely book graced our desks at the end of last week and falls nicely between the two, almost literally —one half of the book is concerned with the purely practical side of experimental print finishes and the other is a showcase for those processes. Designed to function as an 'Encyclopedia of Experimental Print Finishing', the technical side splits the content into Printing and Varnishing, Foil Lamination, Embossing, Cutting and Edge Finishing—all of which are explained in detail and given an iTunes-style 'star' rating for cost.

What makes the book even more appealing from a designer's perspective is that samples in the showcase half of the book are all individually created pieces of work (some better than others) by luminaries such as Antoine + Manuel, Hort and Pixelgarten.' (grapfik blog)

More layouts for des context book....

Full block black background.Not sure this is really working and the verse out text is quite striking on the eye making it difficult to read.
Larger images of the studios work.

Layouts for Design Context Book.

The above layout is quite plain I think it needs more imagery within the overall layout and more colour.



Larger images work better within the layout.

Contents Page so far...

So far the initial title for my design context book is 'innovation in print'.

Looking at the contents as....

• Introduction: A brief history about print.
• Traditional Print Methods.
• Finishing Techniques.
• Paper stocks.
• Interviews.
• Profiles of studios.

Noma Bar Interview via Grain Edit.

found here...www. grainedit.com/2010/03/17/noma-bar-interview/

Noma Bar is a man of few strokes. But don’t let the simplicity fool you. His talent lies in his efficiency in depicting characters and social issues. With bold colors, shapes and one or two icons he captures the spirit of a person. Other times he communicates a message on a social issue with amazing clarity while adding a bit of humor to everything. Whether the message is about violence or equality, his straight-forward visual approach is refreshing.

How does your background influence your work?

I was born in the north of Israel in 1973. Israel was a young country with lots of influence from the Bauhaus school. The architecture had a lot of squares and straight lines. But there is also something else about Israel. There was the spirit of improvisation, in terms of how people create things, recycling and using ready-made.

Nevertheless it was quite sleepy and I didn’t want to stay there. Around my house there were original paintings. My mother was quite illustrative and playful. For example she made the handle of the toilet into a [silhouette of a] duck. We also had Hello Kitty things around the house.

Before I came to London I studied Hebrew typography. I was trained as a typographer, not as a illustrator. And of course there was no great demand in London for a Hebrew typographer. In my [current] work, I have typography influence. It’s like working with the elements of a letter. It’s coming to this idea, no nonsense, monumental shape.

How do you describe your work?

Sometimes I would say visual communication. It is not exactly graphic design and not exactly illustration. I make brief illuminations. Putting light on the subjects and developing subjects is classic illustration. But it looks like graphic design. What I’m doing exactly, is part characterture and part politics. It is about the subjects. I’m a visual comedian, a graphic comedian. It is in a sense, less and less graphic design and more illustration. It needs to be funny. It needs to bring a smile. This kind of emotion is very important.

How did you come to develop this style?

I’m attracted to actors that don’t use words. Maybe it is because I come from a foreign country and I have to do a lot of non-verbal communication. Comedy really influences me. I admire silent films because they have the ability to make people laugh without saying any words, basically doing visual things without talking. My work is like a comedy dialogue, short jokes, short stories. It quite similar to comedy in that it ends with a punch line.

How long does it take you?

It can take a couple of weeks or a day. It is different with different projects. Portraits are challenging. It is a struggle to find the right ideas. For me the idea has to comes first.

What is your working process?

I do a lot of drawings. I have more than 60 sketch books. The sketch book is part of me, a on-going diary. When I go to the computer I already know what I’m doing. Almost all the conceptualizing is done.

Where do you find inspiration for your work?

I like doing drawings in the Underground Tube. Sitting on the Tube is like a gallery of people of different faces. Everyone capitulated in one line and they change all the time. I also look where many people don’t look. For example things on the floor. A lot of things happen on the floor. I look at negative spaces. I would look at the space between two cars, instead of the cars. In a sense I’m always looking and getting all the wrong information.

I really like Highgate woods, this is actually part of my routine. In the morning I’m in the woods for a couple of hours a day. I try not to sit on the same bench. I need to find new benches so I can surprise myself.

Are there any guidelines you live by as a illustrator or can give to other artists?

Find your own thing and find your inner voice. If it suites you, really give shape to it. It a journey. Don’t be fascinated by what everyone else is doing. When people are always changing their styles they are not faithful to who they are. I can do a lot of things but I don’t.

Also think a lot. Think hard before you start to do something. I spend more time thinking than illustrating. I need to surprise myself with good ideas and not just illustrate beautiful pictures.

Upcoming plans for this year?
On Feb 16th, a new “What’s Up with Illustration 2″ Exhibition opens at the Mauger Modern Art gallery in Bath, UK. I also have a solo exhibition in April at KK Outlet, called Bitter Sweet.