Final Context Publication

Very nice,how much?

A Typographic & Print Investigation Chris Lawson May 2013

Introduction

As a graphic designer, I’ve grown to love typography. Everything about it, from typographic compositions, editorial layouts, to the typefaces themselves. It is the purest form of information that we have, and is the basis for forming the language we use and understand every single day. Without a relevant typeface to hold a message, the tone of voice is lost completely.

As much as I love type, it always needs a place to sit. Printed media is the art of transferring these beautiful, carefully considered, letterforms onto a physical holding device. Print can be held, it can be bended, it can be folded. More importantly, it can be breathed in. Nothing beats the satisfying smell of a fresh print. It’s something that just cannot be replicated in the digital world. And that is why print will never die.

This book is a primary investigation of typography and print, but with other forms of design considered with four underlying themes.

Print Production &

Processes

Clean & Concise

Functional Design

Fold, Bind & Format

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2

3

4

Print,Production& Processes

Heydays Branding

- Our own iden tity reflects our own design prin ci ples. A devel op ment from the start in 2008, the iden tity is based on a divid ing line half way through every sur face, empha siz ing a new period in time and a more con fi­dent stu dio. Paper stock, mate ri als and print meth ods are care fully selected to make every sur face a crafted pro duc tion, with a feel ing of qual ity and time less ness. Beneath it, our logo type remains the same, accom pa­nied by the sin gle ‘H’.

Studio: Heydays

­Another example of communicating a message using the stock, this time through debossing and embossing. It keeps the publication as minimal as possible ­ giving it a clean, professional outcome. This technique is only really reserved for the front cover, as the effect could flatten and distort if pressed in between multiple pages.

Snitt

- Mag a zine on visual com mu ni ca tion by Grafill, the nor­we gian trade orga ni za tion. Snitts pur pose was to raise the pro fes sional stan dard of visual com mu ni ca tion in Nor way and raise aware ness by pro vid ing inspi ra tion, infor ma tion and grounds for debate. We were assigned to redesign Snitt. Our goal was to cre ate a open lay out, but main tain a good struc ture for the reader through­out. The pur pose was to facil i tate the read ing flow, but cre ate more room for exper i ment ing in the lay out and inter pre ta tions of the edi to r ial con tent. We divided Snitt into three sec tions and used var i ous paper stock to high light these. The mast head reflects the name. We wanted the cir cu lar shape, inspired by a cross­section, to fol low the reader in both sec tion pages, detail ing and iconography.

- It is important to be consistent in design throughout a publication. This particular example, Snitt, uses the colour purple throughout to keep consistency, and also to keep things simple. The reader realises the identity of the publication throughout and this gives it a certain aura ­ it shows the publication is a whole work of design and not multiple individual pages.

There is also evidence of a set going on ­ distinguished by different colours. This shows that the use of colour can be used to separate parts of the set, and the consistent design styles demonstrate the separate publications are part of a whole body of work.

Studio: Heydays

- New dress for the Dance Theater School of St.Gallen. With the reduced folding (tab) occurs, the theater of St.Gallen (brand) in the background. The concept is carried through by all applications.

Studio: Bureau Collective

­This is branding for the dancing theatre ‘Tanz Schule’. The photographs are consistently monotone, shaded with a dark blue colour that is used from the brand’s colour palette. The bright orange colour is used throughout, and lends itself to the idea of screenprinting ­ using colours that are simply not possible when using the traditional 4 colour process (CMYK).

Theater Tanz Schule

Clean & Concise

Frozen Planet

- Following on from watching the fantastic BBC Frozen planet series, I was very excited to work on a personal project to show the effort and the commitment the crew went too. Here is an illustration I put together to compliment the facts I have found. I have also created an icon set to compliment the statistics.

Designer: Johnathan Quintin

­The vectored imagery, the simple colour palette and the clear and precise statistics are all elements of a good information graphic piece. The silhouettes work extremely well as they’re simple, but distinguishable at the same time. The use of exclusively two colours keeps the whole design fresh and consistent throughout ­ using shades of one colour to add depth to the piece.

Although the visuals are effective, and the design is easy to break down, the emphasis of any infographic piece is on the data being communicated. This example demonstrates a way to do this by enlarging the numbers to make them stand out. It is eye catching and ensures the main information gets communicated first.

Jot Down

- Jot Down is a black and white Spanish magazine directed by Brands & Roses and designed by relajaelcoco.

­This is a really nice combination of info graphics and editorial work in one project. Jot Down is a spanish­based magazine established in 2012, released quarterly throughout the year.

What I like about the work is the fact that it is ALL black and white, yet remains interesting and resilient throughout. I featured a piece of black & white editorial work earlier that was entirely functional, but lacked any interest and ambition. This example, however, proves that that a lack of colour doesn’t necessarily mean a dull piece of work. The interest is promoted through varying layouts, through interesting uses of typography and the use of striking imagery.

Studio: Relajaelcoco

InterviewsCatalogue & Jay Cover

Catalogue

­Catalogue is an independent graphic design studio founded in 2010 based in the North of England. We specialise in design for print, branding, identity, books, exhibition and web. We work for both commercial clients and on self initiated projects.

Extended self initiated projects include an independent publishing platrom Catalogue Library and a bi­annual magazine Library paper, both of which are stocked in shops all over the world.

1.Who/what are your biggest inspirations in graphic design?

New styles of Graphic Design are what we enjoy. Sometimes clean and simple work, sometimes a little more ‘off the wall’. The progression of the practice is something that interests us and most likely something that inspired us to make a bi­annual magazine showcasing just that.

2.What would you say is the most impressive piece of printed material that you have seen, and why did it have such an impact on you?

It’s hard to pin point one for one reason. We see so much material we love, sometimes it can be a shitty little zine that’s taken someone ten minutes to produce on a Xerox machine, sometimes it could be a nice heavy cloth bound book. A lot of the impact is the content, either serious and hard hitting, or quick and funny. If it is produced in a nice way then it’s a bonus, but when you become a designer working with small budgets and large ones it is easier to appreciate it all.

3.In your opinion, what is the purpose of printed material in a society dominated by digital media?

It serves a purpose in many ways. People will always appreciate an object that they can hold an interact with, but again it completely depends on peoples opinions. As designers we like the book as an object and sometimes less of something we use for it’s primary function.

(Catalogue)Interview undertaken on 15/05/2013 via email.

1. Who/what are your biggest inspirations in your illustrative practice?

My main direct visual influence is from pre­digital illustrative graphic design. Graphic designers who have an illustrative approach like Olle Eksell, Alan Fletcher, Edward Bawden, Milton Glaser, Alexander Girard, Bruno Munari & Ken Garland. I’m really into designers who focus more on an idea­led approach opposed to contemporary illustration that’s more focussed on style and embellishment. Generally imagery that is paired back and has an intelligent use of line & shape.

2. What would you say is the most impressive piece of printed material that you have seen, and why did it have such an impact on you?

There’s not one particular piece of print, but old hard bound books, which utilise several print processes are always amazing objects to look at. There seems to be lots more time spent manufacturing these books and I guess the limitations they suffered compared to todays relative convenience in print gave rise to more creative and considerate use of what print processes were available. I have a couple of screen­prints produced by Seripop which really set themselves aside from other prints, they really take screen­printing to it’s limit as a process.

3. In your opinion, what is the purpose of printed material in a society dominated by digital media?

For one you can hang a print on your wall. Obviously it’s tangible, not­necessary to re­charge and view through a pre­defined interface or device. Having to experience digital media through a device is currently a limitation in digital media. With print you have more control over the format, which within certain forms of communication can dictate the context of information and how it is inferred by the spectator, so it’s role within communication is still very important. I guess ultimately it comes down to ways of reaching people and until digital media is wholly universal and adaptable within different environments, there will always be a place for print. Alongside that there’s a certain sentimentality amongst people about books and being able hold something, have a more encompassing sensory experience with information & imagery, which print offers more so than digital media.

(Jay Cover)Interview undertaken on 08/05/2013 via email.

Jay Cover

­Jay Cover is a designer from the Isle Of Man. Living and working in Leeds (UK) as an art director with Nous Vous collective, who apply a collaborative approach to a wide range of projects. His output includes illustration, drawing, graphic design, sculpture and curatorial projects. Jay has a playful approach to his craft, always attempting to find and effectively communicate the subject matter he is exploring. He has a simple, reserved aesthetic with an emphasis on shape & mark­making.

Functional Design

Grilli Type

- Grilli Type is an independent Swiss type foundry. We offer original retail and bespoke typefaces–high quality products with a contemporary aesthetic in the Swiss tradition. This tradition is reflected in the visual but also the technical standard of our fonts and our service. Together with our designers and collaborators we aim to create useful, high quality typefaces that stand the test of time.

Swiss Type Foundry

­The simplicity of the letterforms, and the fact that they’re based on classic modernist typography, makes Grilli Type’s products incredibly functional. Very ‘form follows function’ aesthetically, Grilli Type is a foundry that proves typography shouldn’t be complex. In fact, quite the opposite.

About GT Haptik - GT Haptik is a Grotesque typeface with a very special characteristic: Its uppercase letters and numbers are optimized to be read blindfolded and by touching them. Because of that its glyphs are monoline and geometrical. Optical criteria become secondary. This gives the typeface a weird but also very charmful touch that plays well not only in display sizes, but also for short text use.

About GT Walsheim -

Inspired by the lettering of Swiss poster designer legend Otto Baumberg­

er from the 1930s, GT Walsheim is a friendly but

precise typeface. Unlike other geometric sans­ser­ifs, it sports warm curves and wears a broad smile.

This allows for use in both large and small sizes.

About GT Pressura - Inspired by type stamped on shipping boxes, GT Pressura uses the visual effect of ink spreading un­der pressure as a stylistic device. The condensed sans serif alludes to a scientific background but with its rounded corners shows a soft and friendly side in larger sizes.

The Outpost Layouts

­A clean layout for the outpost magazine. I really enjoy the vibrant colours, and the combination between a deep red background and the stock on the double page spreads above. This could be achieved simply by printing, but it could also be separate stocks combined in one publication. The sheer contrast engages the viewer, and the different stock could be used to hold designs that are separate to the layout, like infographics or typographic specimens.

Designers: Santos Henarejos Gema Navarro Romualdo Faura

Estudio Tricota

­(Translation from Spanish)Economy of resources, searching for inspiration outside the pixel, preference for vintage aesthetics and, mainly, passion for design are some of the elements that define multidisciplinary Argentinean studo Tricota, based in Buenos Aires.

­These posters are really well considered and all utilise a simple colour scheme. I like the inclusion of icons as it sticks to the style of communicating information in its most simple form: text & icons. There are also some nice overprinting effects that give the poster depth and a sign that it was screenprinted. Which also adds a personal touch to the design.

Studio: Pelonio

Fold & Bind

Ego Primavera

­The catwalk dedicated to young designers was supported by Burger King, sponsor of the fashion event and its Showroom, home to more than 40 brands on this occasion, launched the new BK Project. For this edition, BK Project focused on the advising, promoting and positioning of the winners’ brand in London. To sum up the collaboration between Burger King and EGO, we created a dossier that was handed to press and guests including information about the project and the designers.

­A really nice example of clean layout and interesting bind. The bind itself promotes enough interest for me, as I haven’t seen the ring bind used in such a fashion. It separates itself from other publications due to its unique approach.

The simple colour scheme works really well to give the whole publication a clean aesthetic, and the monotone images complement the colours whilst still being clear.

Also, the inclusion of smaller pages on different stock to separate content is an technique that could separate features such as interviews, away from the image­based material.

Studio: Pelonio

Esquire

­This is an example of an effective hot dog fold, and judging by the point size in the photograph, on an A2 scale. The vibrant pink keeps the design consistent, and the amount of copy and information on the design demonstrates the hot dog fold’s ability to contain vast amounts of information in a tight and compact space.

Designer: Nick Millington

Thanks to:

Designed by:

Jay CoverCatalogue

Chris Lawson,Leeds College of Art2013