OUGD404 - Studio Brief 2 - Study Task 1 - What is a book?

What is a book?

As a group of 8 people we had to come up with what we thought described what a book is. As a whole group we decided on our best definitions of a book. Ours was the word "articulate" because generally a book is created to communicate an idea. The other groups came up with "A collection of pages" but then we have to analyse and define the word page, which is basically a context used to communicate something. Finally the last group defined a book as "A collection of visual stimuli" which is similar to the second answer, containing the word "collection" which suggests that a book contains more than one or multiple pages etc.

What is the purpose of a book?

Once again we had to come up with a mind map on the purpose of a book. Some of the answers that we got were very similar to ones we put on our first mind map but we chose the words "Inform, educate and entertain" as the purpose. The other answers were "Inspire" and "Communicate". But it was suggested that one of the main purposes of a book is "to convince". Authors have to convince the reader whether something is right or wrong or true or false. Also books can create controversy as most people have differing opinions and if you think of key publications through out history. You could argue that religious books like the Bible or the Qu'ran are controversial even though they have been in production for hundreds of years. Books can also convey the illusion of intelligence as just because something exists on paper doesn't necessarily mean it is true. For example in newspapers they can sometimes print stories and facts that are incorrect and they can say that in the next issue but by isolating the issue with the errors people could believe these facts as being true because they are physical. Additionally I suggested the purpose of a book is to create an escape, especially in the fictional world. A book can take you back to a moment in time that is was published or when it was set.

How is a collection organised?

Finally we had to think of how a collection could be organised, the ones that we came up with straight away was chronology, sequences, alphabetical and numerical. But we also came up with thematically or through the authors choice. Maybe even relevance could be used to order collection depending on the title of the collection or what the object is. Overall collections could be ordered however you like, people may even have their own takes on how things are organised even if there is no specific order to it. We also asked how a collection could be bound together and we came up with lots of different methods like stitching, folding, glue and staples. We concluded that the reason that there are so many different types of binding methods is mostly due to the function of the publication. This is because different bindings mean that a book layout would have to have a bigger margin or a coffee table book would need to lie flat so it would have to be bound with glue. In fact most book designs are produced with the binding method in mind so it has to be decided before designing.

I picked my favourite book as my watercolour moleskin. I chose it because the blank pages are constant source of inspiration, it makes me want to fill them. It is probably the book that I go back to most often to draw and sketch. I don't know where I would be without any of my sketchbooks!

13th Jan Session

We got into a group of 6 and each had 3 books to present that were supposed to represent different types of books. I brought in a few more than 3 because I found lots of little booklets from freshers fair which were bound in different ways which I found quite interesting. One was bound with a little keyring in the corner, as if it was a portable guide to take around with you (except for the fact that it was a little too big for that). And then I took my font specimens and my Adventures in Letterpress book. 

So our task was to define why each of our books was a book, what it's purpose was and how the book was bound. 

We started with Freddie. 

He presented his Ringbound sketchbook first, stating that it was a book because it was a vessel for him to collect his notes and sketches. The fact that the content of this book are his own makes it quite personal and unique to Freddie. He said that it also makes him sentimental about it. Also, he suggested it might be ring bound for the ease of use of the user as it is easy to rip out pages. 

For his Manga book, he said that it was his favourite book because it was by his favourite Manga artist - Mark Crilley. We found out that it was pur bound, which isn't quite perfect bound but is similar, so it can lay flat with a durable glued spine so it can be reused without the glue wearing out. Also the purpose of the book is instructional, but Freddie says he often just looks through it as the illustrations inspire him.

Finally he presented a concertina folded leaflet about a pencil set he got. He said that it counts as a book because it's purpose was to inform (it is a collection of information). He also said that the style of the leaflet was very to the point, which it should be, showcasing all the pencils and how they are supposed to be used/ their unique qualities. 

Next was Vedicka's selection.

First of all she showed us "Just my type" which is a paperback perfect bound book about type and its history. She said that she liked the way that it was formatted and the fact that the whole book didn't stick to one font and that it changed according to each chapter depending on the subject matter. She thought that its job was to inform, but I think that it is also to entertain as I have read it too and I found it quite humorous at times. Finally she said that flicking through, it had good aesthetics, with images and not too much text.
Next she showed us an instructional manual about her slow cooker. I think we all agreed that it was a very dull and boring example of a book. But it's sole purpose is to inform about the product so there isn't much to make it more interesting. It was a simple staple bound book fitting with that fact that it is a simple and factual document. 

Laura's selection.

The first book she chose was one of her childhood favourites so it has a lot of sentimental value to her. She said she liked the use of illustrations and words and that there wasn't too much text over crowding the page. It used a case binding so that the book could lay out flat when needed and so it wouldn't wear after lots of use. 

This book Laura made herself for her final project in college. It is bound with a japanese binding which clearly shows the stitching on the outside. I liked the use of a cover to keep the book together, especially using tracing paper as it represented the book nicely. All her design decisions were informed by the subject matter which was mental health. 

Close up of the Japanese binding.

My selection.

I tried to choose some different examples of non-traditional books. My first selection was a type specimen from Fontsmith. I believe that this is a book because it contains a collection of information on a chosen subject.  I really like the way that it had been folded so that it looks like a book when it is folded, but unfolded it creates a poster. I really like things that challenge peoples perceptions like that. 

Next I chose one of my inspirational books "Adventures in Letterpress" I love the way that it is bound - once again it is a case binding. It is most likely bound like this to withstand lots of wear and tear of repeated use. I would say its main use as a book is to inspire. I often flick through the pages looking for some new ideas for my own design practice. 

Finally, I chose a booklet I was given at freshers fair. I found the way it had been bound really interesting as it was hole punched and bound by a single keyring in the top corner. This suggests that they may have wanted it to be used like a pocket guide or something that you could carry with you on your keys but it is much too big for that. I like some of the design elements and it has an educational context to it but I wouldn't say it was a book for repeated use. It is just something to educate and inform. 

Taime's selection.

I really loved Taime's selection of books - he chose 2 very interesting books. One was a gate folded record sleeve that folded out to create a full image of a robot which we all found really interesting. He suggested that it was a book because it is a collection of something - in this case it was a collection of songs bound in this sleeve.

He also showed us a Motley Crue photo book which contained full bleed photographs on every page and it was staple bound. It was probably staple bound to reduce the cost of production because it was printed full colour on gloss paper so they may have wanted to save money in the binding process.