OUGD504 - Brief 03 - Further Primary Research

I decided to revisit Village Bookshop to refresh my mind and get further inspiration for this brief. I have generated multiple layouts for my publication but none of them have completely satisfied me. Experimenting and pushing ideas around a lot is how I function as a designer and it really helps me to do my best. Flicking through a number of Village's publications was really visually stimulating and I came away feeling inspired to try out some more unusual layout designs. I tried to pick out books that were predominately monochrome in aesthetic. I was paying particular attention to the formatting of the images, grid systems if any, binding methods, stock choices and good use of print finishing techniques. Below are a selection of images that I found the most visually enticing and diverse:  

I really like the alternating sizes of images in some of the publications. Full bleed imagery can be nice if the image quality is high enough, but I find it much more interesting when there are varying sizes of images to look at. In terms of thinking about production, full bleed imagery can tend to get quite expensive as it obviously requires more ink. I need to consider these costing issues when designing my publication, using smaller images and formatting them in a way that is similar to the spread below may prove to be more cost efficient and environmentally considerate. 

This publication used a very simple staple binding method. I have used this technique before, it is incredibly easy and doesn't look all that bad. I am considering either stapling my publication or stitch/stab binding it. Staple binding is cheap and easy to do, and can be used on a commercial scale which is something I must consider throughout the remainder of the design process. 

Further examples of full bleed double page spreads: 

This cover design caught my eye. The black stock was really beautiful to look at and feel. It felt really sophisticated and premium. A spot varnish had been applied to set the title, which I thought was a great touch. Black on black is highly sleek, I want to look into experimenting with varnishing my cover design onto a heavy jet black stock. The effect is very aesthetically pleasing but at the same time subtly stylish.