Workshop Week Book Design –

Designing a book is usually regarded as creating visual imagery for the books cover, however, that is not the case. There are many other elements of a book that can be designed, including but not limited to layout, size and the type of paper or card used within the text. Within this workshop we were challenged to create a concept for a book design and its purpose within a short period of time.

Before we started we were all shown a variety of different carefully designed books and how they can take many alternative forms and include various sorts of mediums to that traditionally perceived.  Some of the books shown, were very beautiful as I love books, I believe that a good book is also based on the books design. I saw that some of them, were opened bind which is where you can see the spine and thread. 

Overall, this workshop was really fascinating and intriguing for me. I really liked knowing how to create books in certain ways and it was interesting knowing all the details required.

Access Issue 02, Magazine //

This was kind of tricky to establish as a magazine. This is a paper style magazine, but paper like that of a newspaper. However, all that aside I am going to class this as a magazine which is to do with PlayStation. Access is published for Sony Computer Entertainment UK Ltd in London.

On the front of this 'magazine', it states at the top 'Let The Games Begin' I believe that for a games magazine, this tagline is perfectly suited to it. Then underneath this, is another statement saying 'Gamers get their first look at the new PlayStation Vita'. The cover photograph on the front of this magazine is of a person playing on the new PlayStation Vita, then it has the PlayStation logo as well as the action/control buttons which are: X, O, ∆ , ❒ . 

Then at the bottom of the page, is the PlayStation logo with PlayStation to the side, followed by PlayStation's FaceBook page. 

On the inside pages, it starts by saying: PRESS START. I really like this simple use of text as it is reminds the audience of PlayStation, it does this by as you associate these simple words with the controller used to play the PlayStation, video games console. To left of this, there is a small section for if you design a cover for Access! You can win a prize! Clearly this is a very interesting competition where you could've won: Your design to be on the front cover of Access magazine, Sony DSLR with lenses, a NEX-7 Camera, and also that of a PS Vita and start up games. The design will also have been made into a poster by Don't Panic. 

On pages 12–13 it shows and talks about 'Inside the PS Vita", and "What exactly is so special about this new machine then? We take a closer look at PlayStation's newest toy."

/ I quite like this double page spread as it goes into in depth detail of everything to do with the PS Vita. From Nuts and Bolts and describing the CPU, Weight, Screen, Cameras etc.

I think that my favourite thing about this magazine is that the contents is at the back. I think that is a very interesting yet unique way, as normally the contents page is inside the cover page. However, I like that Access magazine chose to be different and set themselves apart from other magazines and put it at the back as the very last page. I know that this will definitely be of influence to me, in later works. 

I again, asked my boyfriend of what he thought about this magazine as I wanted his opinion. Here is what he said below:

/ He likes how the front page has a white border and that he also like how the icons are overlapping the edge of the page. He said that he also likes how the writing isn’t taking up much of the front cove and also how the logo is situated at the bottom of the page too.

He said that he likes how the contents page is situated on the back of the actual magazine, and at the bottom of this it has all the relevant information ie: thanks to and all of the staff involved.

He states that he likes how on each of the pages it has differentiating text sizes as well as on the same line, and across the top of the pages. He likes how the magazine resembles more of a newspaper with it's finish rather than a glossy or laminated magazine. He feels that there are some colourful pages that are located on certain pages, which he also likes. Though he feels as though the magazine feels slightly weaker and thus it could break easier. He also likes that how at the beginning of some of the paragraphs they start with a giant colourful letter that will grab your attention and also on some pages it is a different colour.

Cereal Magazine //

Cereal magazine is all for ‘Travel & Lifestyle’, this magazine gets published twice a year and is devised into city-specific chapters. With each chapter, it comprises different features on places, people and products, also this magazines is showcased with beautifully visually striking photography. An interlude section is also included in every volume, this features a selection of style, and culture articles.

Cereal magazine also offers a range of city guides, they provide the reader with a tightly edited selection of their favourite places in a variety of different cities around the world. Each of these guides is published online, and come with an introduction to the city, as-well as alongside essential information, and also features anywhere from 10-20 different locations. This city guide also comes with exclusive photography which is taken by their team, and has been laid out in an editorial style. They also produce printed guide books for select cities.

The select Cities for these guide books, are as follow:

  Austin, Charlestown, Helsinki, Los Angeles, Seoul, Bath, Copenhagen, Hong Kong, New York, Singapore, Bristol, Edinburgh, London, Paris, Vancouver. 

I purchased this magazine on the 02 May, after waiting a week to buy it. I couldn't find this magazine in other WHSmith shop, apart from the one I work in, on weekends. I first noticed this magazine however, on a shift as I was routing through design magazines to help with my work. 

As I was looking I noticed the title ‘ C | E | R | E | A | L’, I quite liked the way that this was laid out and thought I would give it a quick scan through. On the front cover, it is very minimal and basic, something I think what you’d expect from a Travel and Lifestyle magazine. Underneath the title, is clearly states that this is from the travel and lifestyle genre of magazines. Also, is states that this is VOL 8, which clearly says that there is eight volumes within this type of series. 

Underneath is a beautifully clear image of a snow capped-mountain. I think that this photograph is just stunning, I love the way it looks on the paper stock magazine, I love the texture of it when it is placed in your hands. I love that this magazine feels like it’s been made with care and affection towards the readers of this style of genre, or to it’s growing captive audience. The binding on this magazine is also quite minimal and basic stating the title of the magazine, and 08 / stating their volume number of this specific magazine. 

Within its inner pages, they have some promotional work for RIMOWA, here this is showcasing their type of work and this is a luggage company. Then after this page, the title is:

 C | E | R | E | A | L and there is a couple of paragraphs from the editor: Rose Park.

The opposite spread of that page is another ad for a clothing company called TOAST. On the next page is where they say who was involved on creating the magazine from editors, creative directors, contributing and sub editor, advertising manager, illustrator, and also the sales manager. It also states where the company is based: Bristol. It also states their varies social media platforms that they are specialised to, this being FaceBook, Twitter and Instagram. 

Their contents page is rather minimal, and also very clean. I like the way that it looks, it just looks simple, but not too simple. The contents page is also rather different to any other contents page that I have seen in a magazine, it starts by:

1. Yukon 

012. Kluane (National Park and Reserve)

028. Master Carver (First Nations Wood Work)

032. Yukon Wildlife (Portraits of a population)

038. Dempster Highway (The road to the arctic circle)

I like this sort of contents page, as they're just under one sub-heading and it doesn't make it confusing. It simply states that these things are under the whole of Yukon as a whole. Then they also have a section for an Interlude. Then after this short Interlude pages, we go back to things about Yukon. 

050. Curated (Candles for the winter months)

056. Stahl House (Case study home)

066. Esk Cashmere (Luxury knitwear from Scotland)

076. Tuscan Sun (A Photo Essay)

I will be looking through two of these pages from the sub-heading of Yukon. Here, I am going to analyse Yukon Wildlife, and also Esk Cashmere. 

/ Yukon Wildlife, on these pages there is a vast amount of beautiful illustration. It states who wrote up this piece and who was the illustrator and here we have: 

Words – Richard Aslan, Illustration – Lorna Picton. I have read the first, opening paragraph a few times to really get to grips with the overlook of the wildlife found in a place like Yukon, and my favourite sentence is: ‘… The wildlife in Yukon is varied, abundant, playing out the trials and dramas of daily life far from our watchful eyes. Under this opening paragraph however, there is an illustration of a Moose, the typical animal we expect to see over in such a mountainous place. Then it is like a fact sheet / card, they give little facts about Moose's. 

They state its call, and its height which is 2 metres. Its weight which is 500 kg, and their life-span is 10-20 years. Habitat – Forest, Rivers, Lakes and also the wetlands. It explains what their diet is like, ie: Shrubs, leaves and aquatic plants. It says when the best time to seek out a Moose is: around lakes in the spring and summer time, and that their widespread during Autumn.

Then on the opposite page is their illustration of a moose. On the next couple of spreads within this section they talk of more animals these are: Grizzly Bear and the Caribou.

/ The other page I will be looking at is one with a little more written work, this is the Esk Cashmere page.

On this spread, the words were written by – Lucy Brook and the photographs were taken by – Rich Stapleton. This first spread is where it states what sub-heading this is and who has written the work and taken the photos. I like style of work as it indicates to the reader that someone else has done work prior to the previous page. I also like the background colour which this particular spread is on, it’s on a very light grey which looks beautiful in my opinion. The next page, is where you see the multiple paragraphs for this particular setting, all about knitwear. The opposite page has around four images. These are beautiful and really stand out, they're a variety of a foggy road which I presume Scotland. Some towers of thread, a beautiful black and grey jumper, and also a lone sheep in the fog. 

The next spread also uses a double page for photographs, the one on the left, is in middle but has been cropped rather small so the white of the page is still visible, this particular photo is of a sewing machine stitching into a new jumper. The one on the right takes up that entire page and is of a grey-blue sky. The same goes for the next two pages, the one on the left takes up the entire page and this is a telephone pole with the electric wires. The opposite is of a jumper with the white page as a border.

Overall, I clearly think this magazine is beautiful. I love the layouts, I love the photographs. I think it is truly a stunning magazine. The cover is what drove me to this magazine and it serves its purpose for Travel and Lifestyle magazines. I also love the back cover, the back indicates what is in this volume, Yukon, Tuscany, Stahl House, Hong Kong and St. Ives. 

I also really like that the barcode is on the back of the magazine rather than the front. I like that because it doesn’t spoil the way the front cover looks. I believe that, that is something I will be inspired by for my own magazine, depending on what style of cover I choose. 

/ I also asked my boyfriend what he particularly likes about this magazine and this is his detailed opinion:

He likes that the back of the magazine has the places which each volume includes of, he also said that he likes that this is the main focus of the back of the magazine. The material for the magazine is paper stock, which he knows is more expensive to reproduce and for £10 seems a bit steep, also the fact that this magazine is in white also is a negative. He doesn’t like that it could catch fingerprints and dirt onto the white magazine. However, he likes how the back of the magazine with the barcode and places involved, along with the website are centred in the middle. He states that it is nice that it is shaped and build like a book, instead of that of a magazine. He also agreed with me, that the front is very simple and minimalist and he also likes the spine / binding of the magazine. However, he doesn’t like the entire front cover, he likes the photograph he just thinks that he wishes it would blend in to the white border of the magazine. 

Dazed Magazine //

For 20 years, Dazed & Confused Magazine has been at the forefront of youth culture. Defining the times, each issue showcases agenda-setting editorial and pioneering fashion photography. Based in London but created by an international collective of writers, image-makers and stylists, Dazed and its website dazeddigital.com is read in print and online by over 1.7m style leaders. It is quite simply the most influential and successful independent magazine title on the planet.

A couple of weeks ago I purchase VOL IV Spring / Summer 2015; of Dazed Magazine, I purchased this simply because of the design of this beautiful magazine. I also love how fashion magazines are laid out, I think that because of just how simple, yet clean each page looks to me. On the cover of my magazine, is that of Maisie Williams (Arya Stark – Game of Thrones), with the tagline 'Absolutely Flawless'. I really love this cover I think that the main photograph is beautifully shot and how the font and tagline go really well together within this main image. 

Inside the cover pages is a few images of that of designer clothing and watches, with beautiful models to show off the clothes and accessories. After a couple of pages in we see a contents page, this is quite a simple yet clean and crisp page. The top reads 'Contents', then to the left you see 'The Cover' with a simple photograph of Maisie Williams on front same as the main cover photo. Underneath that photograph however, it states what clothing she is wearing in the said picture, and also it states the photographers name and who the styling was done by. 

To the right of all that, it states 'The Front', followed by a long list of page numbers followed by what is being showcased on the pages. After this, on the next page is page dedicated to the hard staff who I believe would've worked of this particular volume. It states: Editorial, Fashion, Design, Advertising and Creative Solutions, Publishing, Contributing Editors, Photography, Digital Design and Production, Production, Video, Text, Marketing Events and PR, International Editors, and also Finance. 

Although this magazine is a fashion magazine, I really love the way that this has been produced and how the pages feels glossy. I remember my brother telling me that if the magazine is glossy that it is a lot cheaper to print. Even though that this is true, I still think that this is a beautifully created magazine.

I asked my boyfriend to give me his opinions on the magazine and this is what he told me:

/ He said that he liked that the numbers on the pages as they were not to the very edge of the page itself, but because it was in the middle of the page underneath text / imagery. 

/ He also stated that he likes that one particular image was quite small, and that it wasn't centred within the page that was sort of, off centre and it was on a double spread.

/ On Page 40 there is an image to do with 'Walk on the Wild Side' here this particular image is set within a circle, i.e. the whole image is spherical. He also stated that this image was aesthetically pleasing. 

/ On Page 113, he described what he saw when he saw this page, here there was an image bang-smack in the centre with text all around but not going all the way across. The text was in small chunks / sections,  around this chosen image. He said that he liked the way that the main focal point of this particular page, was that of the photograph.

/ He also found whilst looking through the magazine that the text varies within certain pages i.e: where it is a full two page spread of text, and also that it is often off centred, and that it isn't fully filling the pages. It's inline, but it's not spread fully. He likes that there's quite a lot of white space as it is clean and easier to read.

/ For the cover he said that he likes that the barcode is to the top and on its side instead of being in the typical position for magazines, being in the bottom left / right. He likes that the cover is clean and that there isn't much writing on it, he said that the fonts stand out cleaner and crisper. He has also found that even though glossy magazines are easier to produce he still likes it, as it fits the magazine better than what a standard paper stock magazine would. Even though the magazine scratches easily, it still feels well produced.

Iconology / Iconography //

Iconology:

/ One of the things that came up when we were looking at semiotics was how metaphor is used in visual communication – which leads nicely into this session on Iconology.

/ Where we were looking last week at different theories which claim to explain how words and images communicate meaning (how we translate words and images into meanings through a shared knowledge of coded systems), today we’re looking at how broader meanings, and different nuances of meaning, can be communicated within these signifying systems. Iconology is about how we use individual – as well as collective – understandings and interpretations to seek a depth of meaning and nuances of meaning beyond that first level of semiotic communication. So, where Semiotics tells us that the phonemes (‘codes’) ‘r’ ‘e’ ‘d’ make up a bigger word (‘code’) ‘red’ which we have learned to associate with the colour we all think of when we hear the word ‘red’, iconology delves into the symbolic, cultural and, at times, idiosyncratic meanings associated with ‘red’. In this session we’ll consider what is being communicated within the context of particular examples of visual communication, and how, as interpreters and creators of graphic design/art/animation, we can play with that ‘gap’ between reading and interpretation (between the page/screen and its audience) to creative effect.


/ The study of meaning contained within in a particular work of art or design, and the branch of art history that addresses the description, analysis and interpretation of images.
Meanings are not always immediately obvious - this can enhance their impact.
Historical and theoretical context - Erwin Panofsky - iconologist - Studies in Iconology (1939).
Using visual evidence to 'unlock' meaning.

Iconology:

/ Iconology is the study of the meaning contained within the symbols in a particular work of art.

/ Culturally specific. It examines the symbol on more than its face value and tries to find meaning by reconciling it with its historical context. To find out about the ORIGINS, purpose and meaning of something.

/ Looking as opposed to just seeing. 

/ Metaphor - where meaning is derived through association, comparison or resemblance.

TV Advertising //

Within TV Adverts around Christmas:

/ Tesco tends to shows different family members and different households in the run up to the christmas period decorating their houses etcetera. This uses a family feel for which a lot of people can relate to as it is viewed as what christmas is about, family.

/ Sales for Tesco during the christmas went down.

/ M&S used Magic fairies this year 2014/2015. The music is fitting for christmas, this shows the magic or christmas and the glamor aspect. Sales did see a 2% fall.

/ Lidl is a value supermarket and everyone knows it they're not denying it. However in this advert they show that you can still receive quality for a low price, which is fitting as now most people are turning to these stores instead of high street ones.

/ Sainsbury's 2014 marks 100 years since world war one started, here they have taken a piece of the war story that captures a part of that war which showed compassion and care. Playing football with the Germans and taking a break from war, even though this was a heartfelt and compassionate advert this did not help there sales either as they too went down by two percent.

Tesco Christmas Light Show (TV Advert 2014) from Immersive on Vimeo.

Revolutionising the Image //

Modern Life is Rubbish?: Revolutionising the Image
/ Style, Cubism & Futurism

What exactly do we mean when we talk about styles and movements in the history of art or design?
/ The Canon – See story of Polykleitos’ bronze sculpture entitled – Doryphoros (The Spear Bearer). A theoretical work which comprises a set of aesthetic principles governing the work’s proportions, meaning ‘rule’. The proportionally ‘perfect’ work of art. A yardstick – a measure of what they believed art ‘should’ be, the quintessential embodiment of ‘good’ art.

/ The Western art historical canon denotes a body of books, music and art that have been traditionally accepted by Western scholars as the most important and influential in shaping Western culture. Idea of the celebrity artist or designer and the masterpiece.

/ Canonised – accepted into the canon. 

/ Survey text – characterised by key individuals who represent styles and movements.

What is ‘style’?:
A definition: Specific rather than simply a methodology. A particular kind, sort, or type, as with reference to form, appearance, or character e.g. the baroque style. Or...
/ A particular, distinctive, or characteristic mode of construction or execution in any work of art/design.

/ A way of doing something, especially one which is typical of a person, group of people, place or period (in the style of...).

/ Used to classify and to describe e.g. when, where or when something was created/developed. Used to group and match works. When we study the style of something we are looking to place it in a relationship of similarity (and difference) with other works.

/ How do we categorise and name works /movements in art and design? – Shared characteristics.
Styles or movements are dialogical – meaning that they come about as part of a dialogue or conversation with previous styles – either embracing or reacting against elements of those styles.
If something is stylised, it is represented with an emphasis on a particular style. Style was described by Meyer Schapiro as ‘a system of forms with a quality, through which the personality of the artist and the outlook of a group are visible’.

/ Art/design ‘movement’, a definition:
A tendency or style in art with a specific common philosophy or goal, followed by a group of artists during a restricted period of time.