Display boards

I took some images of the finished book today for the display boards but I'm not happy with how they've come out.

I had the camera on automatic and changed the settings for the white balance but I can't get them to look right. They look like they've been taken in the 1970's so I aim to go in early tomorrow morning (after I've voted, obviously) and re shoot them. I've nothing against the 1970's, I just want the book looking a little more 2010.

They're here!

Got the call around lunch time from Pete at tdp to pick my book up. Checked through the content and how it had printed and it all looks good to me. Pete even complimented me on it and said how refreshing it was that a student knew how to present a document for printing with bleeds, tick marks etc. which made me feel great too! (I think he'd forgotten that I originally went to him with only 42 pages)

I am a little disappointed not have it printed somewhere like Dayfold, as you can see that although the original photograph is a good quality .tiff, some of the images haven't printed as clearly as I would have liked, but for the price I have paid I am happy.

The issue of having the text spread over two pages looks well resolved too. On one of the books, I think it has been cut sightly off the tick mark and some of the content is lost in the middle, but due to the large point size it doesn't really effect legibility.

Are things going too well?

Just tying up all the loose ends now, nervously waiting for the printers call. My sketch book is almost up to date and I would like to print couple of spreads showing tick marks and bleed for the final hand in.

Then last, but not least, write all the copy for the show board.

I really think I've planned my time very well. When I made the initial time planner, I just put approximate dates to have things completed by, but everything has gone to plan. I knew that for two weeks over Easter I wouldn't be able to work on a computer so I made sure I put all my thoughts and notes in my moleskin and scribbled on pieces of paper when ideas came.

I went to print slightly later than I had planned but still had my book back 4 days before the hand in and kept in communication with the printers about turnaround time.

So, just days to go until hand in and everything is all going a little too well...

And relax!

Or maybe not. I have just got back from the printers and my book(s) will be ready to collect next Weds. The printer did say he is waiting for an engineer to come out and fix one of his machines and so won't be able to start my book until that's done, which wasn't what I wanted to hear but I'll keep my faith in him.

Looking back at my time planner, I was due to have the book ready for the end of last week. I am a couple of days over although Pete (the printer) did say that there was no point in taking it to him sooner as he was too busy anyway, so I'm quite pleased that I've kept to my time planner.

I now have just over a week to get my board fro the final show ready and I want to try and produce some promotional posters for the book. So maybe I'll relax after that!

41/ 4 = 10.25

41 is not divisible 4! Despite being in my 30's in would appear basic maths is beyond me. I turned up at the printers this morning with my document and whilst checking it through with the printer he told me that I only had 41 pages to print. Boll8cks!

I did actually know about this but overlooked it. All because I added a contents page late yesterday afternoon and didn't think about the knock on effect. Sometimes when you're so deep into checking the copy for spelling mistakes you neglect other things.

Still, lesson learned!

ready to print - think again

I asked Kit to read through the copy of the book today. The design was finished and all the images were in place but after looking at the pages fro so long, it is hard to see if there are any typo's or double words.

Just as well I did, as I made a page of notes of things to change.

She explained how she thought it is hard for students because in the 'real world' we would only have to be one cog in a well oiled machine, whereas for this project I had to act as designer, copywriter, editor, photographer and deliver all the print specification too.

Although I have enjoyed all these elements, I would find it beneficial to work in a group and have contact with people working in these roles, for feedback and guidance.

If there are any spelling mistakes in the book, I lay the blame firmly on Kit's shoulders!

final crit

The final crit today seemed to go on for ever. I showed my book as it is so far and most people appeared to enjoy it and laugh in the right places.

Most of the feedback/discussion was about which cover to go for. I still like the original idea, but others said they weren't sure if the back cover explained/complimented the content of the book. When speaking to Sally, she said to me the cover needs to give off an 'understated confidence' and Kit also said she likes the original, so I may try some different images if I have time before mt print deadline and see how thy work.

After speaking with Nathan last week, he said he liked both designs but wouldn't put any copy on the back cover as it detracts from the image.

Digital print

I met with Peter Randell from The Digital Press to discuss the printing of my book on Friday 23rd. I explained that due to having 5 spreads consisting of text only, I didn't really want to perfect bind my book as some of the characters would get lost in the gutter.

He proposed that I stitch the book giving a "cleaner" look and improving legibility. I'm not sure if it is the look I'm after, but I think it might be the best option, most in keeping with the design of the book.

He provided me with a quote (below) and I'm going to have a chat with Kit on Monday as to the best way forward.

Hi James
to print 2 copies off 260x190
48pp text on 130 gsm silk
4pp cover on 300 gsm silk
2 wire stitch
£160
ad 2 pp section every 4 pp and hand stitch add £40


100pp perfect bound job with around 30 pages printed rest blank sheets
300 gsm cover and perfect bound

£100

Regards
Pete

Dayfold

I met with Chris Pollard from Dayfold this morning to discuss whether I could get my project litho printed. The best quote was £3,040 + VAT and that didn't include the cover. I'm sure that's very competitive but its just a little out of my reach.

He said it would be a little cheap if I changed my book dimensions from W:180 x H:260 as they could then fit 3 spreads on to a plate. I was prepared to change the size, but the quote was only going to change by 20% so it was irrelevant really.

Chris showed me around the premises for around an hour and explained the whole print process. It was an excellent insight in to how a proper printers works, and he showed me some of the work they are carrying out for some bespoke clients.

He also went through paper stock with me and showed me many of the options available. I decided not to use a matt finish for the inside pages as I didn't like the way the photos print, despite Chris saying this was very popular at the moment.

I have decided on 130-140gsm silk for the inside of the book and a cover of 300-350gsm coated, Chirs said both would be fine for printing this style of book and relatively cheap.

I have a much clearer understanding now of the whole process, and in future I would love to be in the position to have something printed to this standard.

He did give me the details of a digital printer in Boscombe who he recommended and I visited him afterwards for another quote and some help.

Copywriting

My book has quite a lot of text in it, the first spread of each day is text only and then I have a narrative explaining where the person went to. I enjoy writing and find the process quite simple, but in reading the book Copywriting: Successful writing for design, advertising and marketing by Mark Shaw, I have adapted quite a large amount of the copy.

The book is very interesting, giving case studies as well as general rules and techniques to try.

After the visit of Liam Donnelly from CHI & Partners, I have been looking at a career in copywriting. I sometimes find it easier to sum up what I want to say with a few words than with images. He explained to me that he studied design but when he presented his work in interviews, he was recognised for his copywriting talent rather than his design skills.

I still haven't finished the book but it has helped enormously in getting the copy right in the book and I feel really pleased with the way the book now reads.

JPEG hell

That is two days of my life I won't be getting back, going through images, choosing the ones I want and discarding the others. I think I maybe over did the photography but I was concerned that I would get back home and not have an image I might need so I pretty much did the Japanese tourist thing and photographed anything that moved and some things that didn't.

I am pleased with with the final images. Only on one occasion (the office worker) did the image come out blurred. I would have preferred a clear image, but the guy was such a good subject - checking his hair in mirrors and shop windows - that I am going to keep him in.

Got some really good feedback from Neil and Sally about the colour on the side of the pages. I had chosen a palette from kuler that I had put quite a lot of thought into but they said about picking out a colour from the image and using that, as my colours were a bit garish. Initially I wanted them to be bright as I wanted the book to be colourful, but I admit it was a little too much and I have used the colour picker to take a colour from each image and it looks very good.

Now to create the master pages.

Back from BCN and I am JPEG'd up to my eyeballs!

Finally work is finished for the week and I can concentrate on my prof project. Phew! I took loads of images whilst in Spain and even had to reenact one of the journeys made as I lost all the images on the camera! Mierda. I think the images have worked really well and I got lots of people going to various places so now I can sit down and decide which people/restaurants I want to to use.

The downside was that I followed a couple of people who went...well, nowhere! One guy went home and the other just seemed to wander around like it was his day off, maybe he didn't have mush of an appetite that day.

I had a few ideas for layouts too which I might try and picked up a great little book which is like an image only guide to the city, which I got a lot of inspiration from.

It is going to take an age to go through all the images, so best get started...

The Return

Tomorrow I am off to BCN again and its my final chance to take all the images I'll need for the book.

I have a strong layout now and I don't anticipate it changing to radically now depending on feedback in critiques. I have made a list of any generic images I need and also a few extras! There were occasions last time where I followed someone and didn't get enough shots really, so this time I will have to follow them again (or a different person) and record the journey better.

I'm also not 100% happy with how one of the "following sessions" turned out whilst I was there, as they went to nice bar but didn't eat after having an argument with someone, and technically it wasn't in Gracia either.

So my batteries are charged, SD cards empty and list ready for my final curtain call. If I don't get the images I need this time, there is no going back!

Fingers crossed.

Communication Breakdown

I went to visit The Roman Group in Southbourne today to discuss printing my book, after initially speaking with them on the phone.

I explained everything I wanted, dimensions, embossing, paper stock etc., and then he asked me how many I wanted.....and was a bit shocked when I said 2 or 3!

He said it would run into thousands to only have that quantity done and gave me contact details for a digital printer who they recommend.

I did explain on the phone that I was a student and I only needed a couple of copies but they obviously didn't hear that! Disappointed, as I really wanted to produce a 'proper' book, professionally litho printed.

The digital printer has quoted me £300+VAT for two copies which seems excessive and he also said if I wanted embossing on the cover then the set up cost alone would be £90+VAT.

I am thinking of ways around this, and wondering if I can produce the embossing on the cover using the letterpress at Uni?

And if I am having it digitally printed, I might print it at the Uni or at least at Image XL, where I'm sure I could get some 'mate's rates'!

I still have a couple of Litho printers who could help, so all is not lost!

covers and time

Got some reall good cover ideas down. Most of them are similar in layout, just with different colours. Have decided not to use a photograph as a main image as it just seems to 'rough guide" or 'lonely planet' so am going to try and go for a bright eye catching cover.

Time is going well so far although my job does get in the way sometimes, and its hard to balance them both.

Early layout styles & progress

I've produced some early layout styles today based on a portrait dimensioned book. I tried some landscape layouts but it wasn't working so I left them, and most guide books I have found on my research have been portrait.

I have used a 3 column grid to place the elements and have only completed one style so far, but it is a complete "section" of the book that follows someone from their work place and finished with a review of the restaurant.

It still needs some work but I am quite happy with the progress made.

Tomorrow I will look at the cover for the book. My original concept of keeping it fairly plain with an embossed title might not be suitable as all the guidebooks are brightly coloured, with a strong image, to try and grab the attention of anyone browsing them.

Barcelona images

I have just gone through all the photos from Barcelona to see how they came out. I'm pleased with most of them, although due to extreme weather conditions (it snowed there for the first time in 30 years) I wasn't able to get as many as many as I would have liked.

I think I have enough to begin some layouts and show some initial ideas and this will way I will be be able to return to the city in April and take any further images that I might need.

Trial complete

I completed my trial run in Bournemouth with reasonable success. Its not the same following people on their lunch break to Greg's The Bakers but the idea worked well. I didn't want to get too up close and personal to anyone as that is not what the book is going to be about, but I did get the chance to follow people and see what its like to record images whilst trying to keep someone in your sights.

That was probably the most difficult part and I think when I do it for real I may have to go back over the route the person has taken to get better images as some of my shots were rushed and too out of focus to make any sense. Its hard to know where to look for the "way finding" part and keep an eye on my subject.

Food for thought for when I do it for real.

Trial Run

I m hoping to have a trial run of following someone in Bournemouth this week. It's not a sinister as it sounds, but rather than make mistakes when I'm trying to do this n Barcelona, Neil suggested to "have a go" this week and see what happens and how it effects my planning.

People of Bournemouth: DO NOT PANIC! No humans or animals will be hurt in the process of making this City Guide Book.

I want to try different styles of photography and also look at how I aim to map out the trail that I follow. I had initially thought of putting a narrative through the book, but Neil also mentioned today (he mentioned a lot eh?) that I could use lists of things too. Hmmm. Interesting idea!

Hard to find

I am finding research material hard to come by now. I have a strong idea of how I want the book to look but most of this has come from either reading other books or just, well, thinking!

With my sketchbook only really containing a few pages of work/research, I spoke with Neil today who has suggested some books and areas to look in to.
Situationists and Fluxists were first up, and a suggestion I could look into the more theory based side of things.

Following the discussion, I took out "The Situationist International (1957 72)", Andy Warhol "Film Factory" and "Wayfinding" from the library today and will look through them this week to see if I can go deeper into the subject.

Stolen

Just spotted this on the FdA Vis Com blog. Brilliant. Love it. What inspiration!

More Tickets

After speaking with Sally and Neil I have decided to go to Barcelona to get some content to work with before Easter. I feel that I am at a fairly advanced stage as I have a good idea of who I want the book to look and feel but without text or images, there is little more I can do to progress.

I have just booked tickets to go from the 4th - 10th and I am hoping to trial run my idea to see if it is workable and to get some content.

Its cost me about £70 - not too bad and that's what student loans are for, right?

Digital or Litho?

I have just spoken with RPM Printing and whilst they were very helpful, they offer a digital print process and I think I want to produce a book with Litho printing.

They also can't do embossing, they have to send it elsewhere. I have given them an idea of what I want but I was a little vague as I don't know all the details myself yet.

I am awaiting an email or call later today with a price for printing, but I am going to get into contact with some of the printers that Neil suggested and see if I can actually go in and visit them, rather than do it over the phone.

Printers Galore

Just got an email back from Neil and he has recommended three printers to me that may be able to help with "the book".

Corvette Printing Ltd
FWB Printing Ltd
Dayfold Ltd

Great news and I will try to contact them during the week, but for the moment, too much blogging and not enough concepts and ideas!

Hmmm, I'll go and put the kettle on, always helps...

Tickets booked

Another step completed - my tickets are booked to visit Barcelona. I will be there from 4th - 12th of April.

It is certainly enough days to do everything I need to do, but I am wondering if it will be a bit late time wise?

I might have to look at booking another trip, just for a day or three. I would probably feel more comfortable that way, even if I just do some "trial runs" at following people and negotiating Police questioning should I get caught and interrogated!

Will give it some thought...

Prof Project - First Steps

Today I have been trying to get in contact with Friary Press in Dorchester for advice about printing my book. I found the contact number easily enough but it seems the number is no longer in use!

I have mailed Neil to see if he can contact Brendon (ex student) as he had his book printed there a couple of years ago.

After further research I found RPM Digital Print in Ferndown who I am going to visit on Friday to speak with Matt Lofthouse, as apparently he is the man who knows everything.

I don't really have any ideas to show them but I did explain that its early days at the moment and I just wanted to get an idea of turnaround times, paper specification, inks and whether they can emboss and provide spot finishes etc.

This week I aim to have some initial ideas drawn up into my sketchbook and some strong layout concepts too.