Within the project, I have not reinvented a new identity for the acid house movement, I have used existing iconography to make new connections with artistic methods which has not been created before. This is with relationship between the classic hand stamp and the authentic iconography connected together within a book cover design.
Reflecting on my previous book mock ups, I believe it was extremely beneficial and crucial to the outcome of my final book that that this bookbinding experimentation process was undertaken. My mock up book allowed me to journey through the exact step by step process of my final book using exact measurements and page numbers in order to identify and solve any issues and problems found. One of the main problems in particular was the size of the spine in relation to the thickness of the pages. As can be seen in the images, there is a significant difference to the size and outcome of the mock up compared to the final publication. Solving this problem would not have been possible if it were not identified before the final bookbinding process was undertaken. The way in which this issue was addressed was by firstly reducing the thickness of the thread used to stitch the pages; and also clamping the folded pages tight in a vice for three separate and consecutive nights. Due to this, the thickness of the folded pages was reduced from 3cm to 2cm.
Some difficulties faced were that there was not selection of fluorescent buckram or book cloth available at the university or online. Therefore, I had to purchase various other fluorescent fabrics and trial them out to see which one stuck to the greybeard best. The most appropriate fabric still did not take to the glue as well as buckram however, it did still manage to cover the book effectively. This problem can be seen with a few slight pockets of air in the cover of the final book cover. One other problem with the final design is that not enough fabric length was left around the edges of the book making the corners not as neat as would have been desired. Moving onto the spine of the publication, it was difficult to print onto using the stamp due to its uneven surface, this resulted in a print which was not as neat as expected. However, I still felt that the print abided to the concept of the book cover and matches the D.I.Y warehouse theme which is intended to be represented.
I also wanted to see if I could produce the layout using purely 'Helvetica', this would make the pages clean, legible and concise whilst also abiding with Vignellis 7 recommended typefaces. However, the typeface had to be altered due to the laser cutter software only having the typeface 'Ariel', this resulted in having to change the 'Helvetica' typeface throughout the whole inside layout to 'Ariel'. This is not a huge issue however, as a designer who abides by Vignellis 7 typefaces within editorial design, 'Helvetica' would have been the desired option. His principles on the use and importance of white space was also a crucial component to consider when designing my minimalist page layout.
One last observation on the final publication is that the material used to wrap the book attracts dirt quite easily. In the weeks coming up to the submission the book has gained some small marks and dirt spots which effect how nice the aesthetics of the book cover look to the viewer. This material was debated with the team at Pressision and after much consideration, it was
decided to use Day-Glo paper with a laminated finish to repel dirt.
When the book was professionally printed and bound, it was decided to leave out the type on the cover of the book as the smiley face alone has more impact to the viewer. By implementing this design decision, Massimo Vignellis theory on ambiguity was adopted which created a subtle and intriguing cover design which entices the viewer to pick up and read. In the professionally printed publication, it was identified that consistency needed to be addressed if selling multiple copies of a publication. Therefore, the prints on the spine and cover were carefully pressed, if one of the prints was inconsistent, it was wiped clean and reprinted. Reflecting back on the final professional print, it was a crucial opportunity to get an insight into working alongside printers and shop owners when working within the creative industries. This constant communication allowed the project to progress and develop into a fully published book with all aspects considered. Copyright infringement, ISBN numbers, barcodes, print lines and price range were a few of the considerations which had to be addressed within this process. There was a constant balance between shop stocking prices, print prices, binding processes, spot colours and stock choice which all had to be predetermined whilst abiding to a budget. Even though this time consuming process, I have made some valuable contacts within the design industries throughout which could prove valuable in later projects, or even after university.
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