Whilst reading books on design for print it immediately became evident as to how many aspects needed to be considered from a designers perspective. As a result I aimed to focus in on what I found a particular interest in, this being print finishes and techniques that give a tangible quality to a given piece of design and really make you want to touch it.
As the presentation had a limitation of 5 minutes, I selected to research the following:
- Foil Blocking
- Embossing & Debossing
- Varnishing & Spot Varnishing
- Half Toning
- Perforation
- Die Cutting
All of the above I aim to achieve a complete and informed knowledge upon via applying myself throughout this module. This includes researching, trying, testing and experimenting.
FOIL BLOCKING:
image credit: The Consult • http://www.theconsult.com/
EMBOSSING & DEBOSSING:
image credit: Ruiz • http://www.ruizcompany.com/
VARNISHING & SPOT VARNISHING:
image credit: Commune • http://www.commune-inc.jp/
HALF TONING:
image credit: Commune • http://www.commune-inc.jp/
PERFORATION:
image credit: Established • http://www.establishednyc.com/
DIE CUTTING:
image credit: Widgets and Stone • http://widgetsandstone.com/
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The main characteristic for me was how in both examples the type is set and aligned to the left hand side. Naturally this could be due to the way our culture reads from left to right, but perhaps if you consider that when a right handed person holds the card they also need to read it then you might see what I am trying to get at.
Outlined above are all the relevant measures required should you be submitting some advertisements to the publication, but cunningly enough they are also useful when trying to research the exact size and bleed measurements for your own print based document.
The feature that tops it off for me though, is how a thin sheet of trace separates each printed side of the publication. This gives an unexpected tangible quality to make such a straight forward document appear more diverse. It also enhances the exclusive connotation given by the description on the cover.
The main thing that I like about this book is the design of the page layout and the relationship that the type has alongside image. The compositions seem to flow effortlessly and allow your eye glance across without having to do any real work. This in my opinion is how a publication should be.
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Left Handed:
Ambidextrous/Both Handed:
I really like the way in which the problem of peoples writing has been addressed through a simple and logical approach to design. It's one of those 'why didn't I think of that?!' situations.
