Flatland Final

Flatland was a project I completed a while ago to help me obtain my MISTD (International Society for Typographic Designers) membership, however it's only been recently that I've decided to create a mock-up for my website. Let me tell you though, it has been no easy feet. Mocking up a project is usually fairly simple but the sheer size of the files for this project have caused Photoshop to give up on me many a time.

Anyway for those that don't know my Flatland project is a concertina folded book, hence its peculiar appearance in these layouts. Eventually a full description and layout of the project will be up on my site but in the meantime here is what I've managed to do. I still have a few small details to fix but hopefully it will be up this weekend.

Watermark Publication

It has only just dawned on me that I never uploaded the final layouts from the Watermark Newspaper for you all to see. So here you are, sorry for the delay.

Dissertation Cover Design - First Aid Session

Desperate times call for desperate measures people...  I've been battling the cover design for my dissertation for many days now and just don't seem to be getting anywhere with it.  My concept involves having the 'Contents page' on the front along with all your usual cover details.  I've created a few mock-ups here and must admit I prefer the 1st few, but I'd like all your opinions...

Please let me know which design you prefer/feel is more successful.  Hopefully your points of view can guide me to making a final decision. 

Dissertation Design

So I've finally been allowed back into my blogger account (don't ask because I don't know why... stupid google accounts) and thought I would show you the final article for my dissertation.  These are only a few quick shots, I'll be doing better ones at a later date.

The concept was to have a booklet that anyone could print from their home printers.  It's A5 in size, meaning each spread was printed on A4 paper.  To save printing hassle I chose to make it a rule that printing will only be done on one side of the sheet.  This creates an interesting flow throughout the layout.  Eventually I'll have the entire thing read for you all to download and print off your own copies.

I'll keep you posted.

Flatland

It's been a while since I've posted anything so I decided to finally upload photos of a brief I tackled several months back.  The project was to create a design for Edwin A. Abbott's book "Flatland".  The brief stated that the designer could choose to recreate parts of the story anyway they saw fit; I chose to redesign the format of the book.


You know what?  I was going to give you a massive run through of what the story is about and why I chose to design it they way I have but instead I suggest you go read the book and let me know if my design works.  The book isn't a big seller and can be found on the internet for free (I bought my own copy because I'm sad and like books).


My design only covers three chapters of the whole book, so you can imagine just how big the project would be if I was to do the whole thing lol.


I would just like to take this opportunity to thank all my models and photographer for their help during a dark time in my life (the completion of this project).


Gary Nicholson (http://munchypotato.blogspot.com/) 
Abi Dowler (http://www.madebyabi.co.uk/) 
Hannah Guthrie (http://www.hannah-guthrie.com/) 
Hugh Leoidsson (http://leoidsson.com/) 
Leanne Swift (http://www.leanneswift.co.uk/) 
Alex McIntosh (http://www.alexmcintosh.co.uk/) 
James Lodge (http://www.jameslodge.co.uk/) 
and Finally Jim Millington (photography).  

Unraveled

p.s.  Just a quick mention on the quality of the print.  Unfortunately due to my lack of connections in the world this print was with university facilities and is therefore not amazing.  The design of my book would require a professional printing company (and apparently even they would find this a struggle... I'm a little proud of that lol).

Waterside... Done and dusted

The Final design of Waterside (the insert to accompany the Watermark publication).  Unfortunately due to the printing procedure the final piece had to be all in black and white, looks tasteful though, doesn't it?

Me and Leanne will most likely reprint the layouts in colour and on better quality paper.  If so I'll post the photos up for you all to see.

Sorry for the lame post... I'm ridiculously tired today.

Back and font pages

Inside spread

Waterside pt 01

First rough for Waterside, the insert to accompany Watermark at the festival.  The insert will only be one A3 sheet of paper folded in half, equalling four pages for the material.  Myself and Leanne have debated presenting the front page article as a spread over the 1st and last page.  Hopefully our spreads will look so lush people will want to open them out like posters lol.

Leanne hasn't had much input on this layout yet due to preparing her own work for the up and coming D&AD competition and also because she's a lazy, slacking bitch!  Joke.

Let me know what you think of the spread.  Does it work as an open and airy spread?  

Just a quick update...  Here is the inside spread.

Hot off the press

Ok, so as some of you may remember myself and the wonderful Leanne Swift (http://www.leanneswift.co.uk/) were chosen by the University of Cumbria's journalist department to design their annual piece to accompany the 'Words by The Water' literature festival in Keswick.  We worked long and hard of the project and finally sent it off to print.  Little did we know there would be a stack of them waiting for us this morning.

This is the first piece either of us have ever put to print and we're extremely happy with the final result.  All day we have been getting compliments from staff, students and even the printing company themselves who claimed they don't normally get the luxury of printing a pieces in this style (I know I sound up myself right now but they really did say that lol).  Hopefully the paper will be a big success at the festival and encourage departments in the uni to work together on future projects.

Unfortunately I don't have photos of all the spreads yet but when I do they will be going up on my website.  None the less I hope you all enjoy it.  Let me know what you think please.

The beautiful stack that awaited us in reception.  We most likely looked like right fools drooling over a stack of paper and snapping photos like it was a celebrity on the red carpet lol.

An article spread (above) and the poetry page (below).

Working... By The Water

Recently inspired by my tutor Rhiannon Robinson (33) and her words of wisdom I thought I'd post my current work in progress for you all to see.  My latest brief is for the Paper/magazine to be released in connection with upcoming festival "Words by The Water".  My task is to design several layouts, front cover, etc, etc to pitch to the publishing staff.  Unfortunately they haven't given me the articles or photos on the writers attending the festival but I have done my best to make do with internet found images and a short biography on Robert Burns.

Each page should consist roughly of around 1000 words allowing for plenty of flexibility incase the journalist's articles extend their limits.

I grew sick of making up names so Kevin James is repeated a HELL of a lot.

Just a close up of the text in use (though I am aware you probably can't read it at this size anyway lol).  For all those wondering the body text is in Palatino.

I'm aware that the layouts aren't really readable at this scale but if anyone does have any comments or suggestions they feel could help make these pages better please feel free to chime in.