Publishing 2: Exercises

Week 1-8
Chia Yee Hsean (0322352)
Publishing 2: Mass Communication
Exercises

The Brief

Individual Work (20%)

Duration of Assignment

8 Weeks (Briefing on Week 1)

DEADLINE

Week 9 (22 May 2017)

Description

Throughout the beginning and the middle of the semester, exercises will be prescribed at various phases of the module. These exercises will aid and benefit you in your quest to gain theoretical and practical knowledge in book design that will inform you whilst completing various phases of the modules projects.

All exercises prescribed are to be completed and documented (labelled, clean, clear & concise) in your ePortfolio and Hardcopy portfolio respectively.

The exercises are as follows:

1. Text formatting

2. Mock-up making

3. Signature folding systems (8+8=16)

4. Classical Grid structure
5. Coptic stitch binding

6. Form & Movement Exercises (Thumbnail)

• 1 Colour

• 2 Colour

• 2 Colours + Image

• Colour + Image + Text

Requirements

To complete and to showcase mastery in the exercises prescribed in its various forms over the 13-week period. This process is repeated for all 8 weeks. The work is compiled logically and chronologically in an A4 clear sheet folder and documented on the students’ e-portfolio.

Submission

1. Exercises to be documented in an A4 Clear Sheet folder, logically and chronologically. The works must be labelled and dated.

2. E-portfolio posts at the end of the assessment task labelled and dated, with images captured well and in good light in so that the works are pleasing to the eye and legible.

Objectives

1. To develop students theoretical understanding via practical means.

2. To develop students practical skills.

3. To develop students sense in the use of space.

4. To develop students ability to arrange different elements attractively within a grid system.

1. Making a Book Mockup

We were tasked with creating three different sizes of mockups for our book using A3 paper. Then, we had to compare the three and see which one would best suit the contents of our book. I went with a cute rectangular size of 13 cm (width) x 19.7 cm (height). After selecting the size, we were then instructed to create a mockup of the book of the same size consisting of 9 A3 pages.

My final mockup.

2. Van de Graaf grid

This exercise was completed using A3 paper, and then the grid system and ratios were recreated digitally in InDesign onto our previously selected book size. The steps are as follows:

1. Precisely fold the A3 paper into 2, resulting in two pages of A4. Draw a line if needed.

2. Create two diagonal lines from the bottom left of the A3 paper to the top right (referred to as Line A) and bottom right to the top left (Line B). 

3. Connect the bottom left point to the top right point of the left side of the A3 (Line C), and the bottom right point with the top left point of the right side of the A3 (Line D).

4. There should be an intersection between Line A and Line D at the right side of the A3. 5. From that intersecting point, draw a 90-degree straight line to the top of the paper (Line AD).

6. There should be another intersection between Line B and Line C. From that intersecting point, draw a line connecting to the end of Line AD (creating line BC)

The Van de Graaf grid on A3 paper

Van de Graaf grid in InDesign

3. Creating a Mockup using the Signature Folding System

A simple exercise in creating a mockup using A3 paper. The steps are as follows:

1. Fold the A3 paper in half, left to right, creating an A4-sized shape.

2. Again, fold that into half, this time from bottom to top.

3. Fold it again in half from left to right.

4. Number each page, double-sided. There should be a total of 16 pages.

5. Staple-bind the mockup.

6. Cut off the sides of the book to detach the folds.

7. The result should be an A6-sized "book".

The end product

4. Identifying & Analysing an Existing Grid System

The lecturer got us to head to the library and photocopy any three publication spreads that we liked. Then, we had to try and identify (guess??) the grid structure of said spread. This exercise allowed us to better understand the designer's choices in alignment and composition; how the layout works and why it worked. It was also frustrating, because some of the designers did not follow the supposed grid system, making it harder to identify the exact margins, rows, and columns.

I tried.

5. Coptic Stitch Bookbinding 

We (the students and lecturer) tried something new in this exercise, as we watched and deciphered the exact steps of a Youtube tutorial in coptic stitch bookbinding. Materials used included a needle, hammer, waxed thread, and mounting board. It was initially frustrating but I'm pretty content with the end results. 

6. Form and Movement Exercise
This activity was an exercise in arranging the elements of a spread, and trained our sensitivity to layout and the transitions of these layouts across pages. Initially, I found it frustrating because it took me awhile to grasp the basics of the exercise, but I was able to gradually break out of that mental rut.