Looking back over the Design Principles module I feel I have progressed as a designer, alongside being able to understand why certain aspects of design have been done/what could be improved. Through observing type alignment, modernist and postmodernist composition/typesetting, combined with grids and folding techniques has subsequently informed all other modules as well as this one.
Creating both publications has been a huge learning curve for me. Prior to this module I paid little consideration to stock choices, binding methods and what I wanted this to say about the overall tone of the publication. The bookbinding induction was a huge inspiration for the four stitch bind with exposed knot in the Look book, suggesting a laid back approach. This contrasts the modern twist of silver staples, complementing the tonal qualities of the CMYK Booklet cover. By producing the book yourself rather than sending it to a company such as Blurb.com these subtle additions are possible to enhance the overall ascetic and quality to the production.
When I initially thought of the the look book idea for Studio Brief 02, I wanted to showcase Leeds College of Art student style in it's purest form, not necessarily selecting the maddest or most casual outfits we could find. To an extent I feel I have accomplished this, yet in the future I plan to definitely take more test images and pre-arrange dates with more than one photographer. I had intended to produce around 15 double page spreads, yet due to the lack of variety opted for 11 pages including entry and goodbye pages. I feel my strengths within this project was getting to grips with InDesign, whilst experimenting with both modernist and postmodernist editorial design to produce something slightly outside my comfort zone. Editorial design is now a new interest of mine and thanks to this brief is definitely something I plan to progress in, in the future. Studio Brief 01 was intended to be a much smaller publication, in page quality and overall scale. If I had planned my time better and developed my conceptual idea's sooner, the cover production would have also been improved to hard back with a Letterpress de-boss effect, adding a juxtaposition with the removal of colour all together, in a colour publication. Again, by designing the CMYK booklet first I feel this prepared me slightly to create the lookbook, especially when importing full scale resolution images and the detremental effects created if this is not done right.
However, the print resolution and final resolution for both books is not as sleek as I would have preferred. This is due to badly guillotined pages and general unprofessional finish, partly due to accidental carelessness- something I will prep for in the future with hardback transportable folders to avoid creasing etc. After my test print it was obvious that the cropping would be an issue (even with InDesign crop marks), so decided to cut each page down individually with a craft knife for my final print. In theory this seemed like the most accurate and sleek way of producing each booklet to a higher standard, little did I know that the best way to obtain a sleek print finish is to bind THEN cut. Looking back I regret not asking James, the print technician, or even doing more research into the most professional ways of obtaining sleek pages through bookbinding, subsequently resulting in an equally shoddy production value second print around.
Unfortunately I was not able to get another print slot after ruining the alignment on my final publication, yet if possible I would have reprinted to gain a better finish. Despite being unideal and lowering the production value of OUGD404, this has taught the proper way to bind books professionally and the importance of sleekly produced pages to achieve a professionally engaging product. I have also learnt to book print slots as soon as a brief arises, alongside managing time planning in the early stages as a whole. If I could redo parts of each project I would spend more time obtaining images for Studio Brief 02, seeking out the most creative outfits at both Blenheim and Vernon street even if it means getting more than one photographer. I feel this brief could have been explored on a larger scale, possibly even extended with Tutor style or even split into subject categories. On the other hand, Studio Brief 02 has made me more confident in approaching people I don't know, alongside dealing with other collaborators with their own scheduling issues.
In conclusion, I feel both Studio Brief 01 and 02 have helped me evolve as a designer through adapting each brief to my own intentions, adjusting the design style accordingly. By considering the production methods I feel my awareness of the design industry has improved as it is so clear the print process has the ability to make or break a project. In the future I want to continue to explore InDesign and become more proficient with the software, yet improve my technicalities with regards to bookbinding and print finish.
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