OUGD504 - photo book research

I looked at a number of photography books that were based around a specific place. The first I looked at was Yojiro Imasaka's editorial on his road trip around the USA. I chose to use this within my research because of its unique layout. As there is little text next to the images, using a unique layout and placing of photos adds interest to the publication.

The front page photo wraps around the book creating a more minimal looking cover. The appropriate use of colour on this front page also works well with the photo choices. There is clear use of grids within this publication keeping the design neat and clean. This is something I feel is also important for my own book.

The layout varies throughout the book with some photos spanning across the double page

Photos are different sizes however work well together on the page. Copping images like this so they are different sizes may work better for some of my own photos so they work better on the spread.

I found a project on Behance documenting handcrafted signs in overcrowded places that are often ignored by the general public. The focus on typography and photos link well with my own project.

Individual letters are overlaid with their description. This gives room for more negative space which in turn adds to a cleaner looking design.

Information on the image is given on the bottom left of the image

The photos within this publication are set on double page spreads so all focus is kept on them. Body text and explanation of photos and type is then set on its own in a gridded layout.

As one of my ideas is based around the combination of type and architecture around Barcelona, I found a number of publications relating to these areas of design as well as other aspects relating to my ideas.

The first editorial I found looked at the landscape architecture of Rainer Schmidt. The unique use of neutral, enlarged type works well alongside the different contents creating a platform that explores different areas of design seamlessly. 

Exploring type in unique ways such as this is something I would like to experiment with within my own project. Coupling Graphic Design and architecture in this way is also similar to my first idea so will work well to inspire my work if I decide to carry on down this route. 

Reflective Fascination is an editorial created by Tor Weibull for a Photo Book Exhibition. Its combination of photography and type show how the two can work well together. The efficient use of white space, Circular typeface and clear grid system create a modern and clean looking piece of work. A similar layout repeats itself across a number of pages. This is something I could look at doing for my own work, especially if I decide to include a body of text with each photo.

OUGD504 - travel guide research

My previous feedback said that my book would work well as an informative guide to Barcelona using either architecture and type or the diversity of typography as the main focus within publication. Because of this, I have looked at a number of photo based city guides. This is suitable for my target audience who may be interested in visiting and learning about Barcelona.

The guides I looked at were on sale at Village bookstore so I was able to physically look and get a feel of what they were like rather than looking at the content online. This helped me better understanding the publications I was looking at, noting the binding method, photo choices, layout ideas and use of stock as well as other design decisions. Whilst researching the two guides online, I also noticed that both publications had an edition on Barcelona showing how other designers had interpreted the city effectively whilst focussing on a similar target audience.

The first guide I looked at was one of the LOSTiN series. Using well informed photography and clear, modern typefaces has helped add to the effectiveness of this editorial. Giving small amounts of information rather than overwhelming amounts of body text keeps the reader interested in LOSTiN. This is similar to the ideas I had about my publication to try keep my target audience entertained.

The second travel book series I looked at was the Wallpaper guide. With well design and a good concept, this publication works as a checklist to some of the major cities around the world. Although the photography used is good, it is often information heavy with large blocks of text. This is dissimilar to what I hope to achieve within my own project.

OUGD504 - Ideas

I have decided to note down the two ideas I have for my publication on Barcelona. These have been informed by research and the feedback I received after my presentation

idea 1 My first idea for this editorial would focus on the architecture within Barcelona in relation to the type. For example, I would look at how the older buildings may have more traditional looking type around them, such as hand painted signs, compared to newer buildings that have more modern and clean looking design. This works especially well in Barcelona where its architecture is world renowned so I will be able to look at the different styles of type that is seen on buildings by architects such as Gaudi compared to that of his more modern counterparts..

Because of how in depth I could look into the different type forms and building styles, I feel it is important that this book includes a sizeable amount of body text with each photo to better explain them in context. As both the text and image would be equally as important, I feel I should explore through the research of similar publications how I could layout my content to give me a better idea how my own book will look.

I feel this book would catch the eye of those who are interested in either type or architecture however, may also be picked up by someone looking to go to Barcelona as the content is more informative than aesthetically pleasing. This is something I can look to focus on through my own design and must look at different ways i can keep it interesting whilst doing so. Despite this, I must look more closely at what my specific target audience will be if I am to persue this idea. This will help to create the most well informed and successful publication I can.

idea 2 My second idea would look at the diversity of type within Barcelona and what caused this. This is where all my photos could be used, from shopfronts to graffiti. I feel this idea would work well because of how multicultural the typography is within the city. The content within this publication would focus on my photography rather than any large body text so I can show a wider variety of photos however it is important that they are explained and the books purpose is clear.

I think this editorial would be picked up either by someone interested in Barcelona or who just wanted to look at the photos. Despite this, I don't want my publication to be similar to a coffee table book as they are often looked at for the photos whilst the text is ignored. If I am to create a book dissimilar to this, I need to make sure my text is interesting and my book is well designed. I will look closer at similar editorial work and research further into the diversity of type to help with this.

OUGD504 - Spanish and Catalonan typography

To get a better understanding of the type I had captured within my photos I researched traditional Spanish and Catalonian typography and looked at when the type I had found may have been created. 

I noticed that there were a number of prominent art movements and styles however one which stood out was modernisme which is the Catalonian equivalent of art nouveau. This period was pivotal in the making of Barcelona’s landscape today and was a type style that reoccurred a number of times within my photos. This was the period the architect Antoni Gaudi constructed his buildings, including one I had visited and taken photos of.

Art Nouveau

A typographical piece describing the Art Nouveau style

Art Deco

I found an article by Serena Olivieri on Poppytalk noting the different styles around Madrid. I noticed that the styles seen were similar to the typography around Barcelona.

I noticed he found a mixture of both serif and san serif typefaces. There were a couple of typographic styles that stood out such as a number of Art Deco and Art Nouveau signs and number that appeared to be hand painted. These traditional styles were also common around Barcelona showing how popular these movements were in Spain. This is something that I would like to talk about within my book as it is such a large part of the city's history. This idea could be noted in both of my ideas as I can link the architecture and typography auspiciously.

OUGD504 - study task 01

This first study task asked to show my summer brief photos as an engaging visual presentation. As this presentation was only required to be three minutes long, I decided to focus on only six of my photographs. This meant I could talk in more detail about my ideas for this project rather than going through each photo individually.

There were a number of things I decided to mention during my presentation. These were:

• I didn't know what to expect when I went to Barcelona so took photos of every interesting letter-form I could find.
• The type I noticed was very diverse. I saw the use of both modern and tradition examples all over the city.
• I decided to use 35mm film as this is a medium I use in my spare time and said last year in PPP how i'd like to explore using it within my uni work.
• Film can be unpredictable so some letters were missed.
• How I would like to focus on the photography aspect within this book yet still look in depth at what could link all the images together

My final presentation layout can also be seen below:

 

I asked for feedback on my response so far once I had completed my presentation. My peers found my photography to be strong so felt it wouldn't be necessary to include a large amount of information within the content as this would take focus away from my images. They also added that they liked the link I have previously noticed between the typography and architecture as felt this hadn't be explored before. Someone added that this idea could work as a guide to the city of Barcelona and would be aimed towards those interested in photography, architecture or just learning about Barcelona in general.

I showed the diverse type I had captured around Barcelona through more of my other photographs and told the group this was down to how multicultural the city is. My peers noted I should look at why the type was this diverse. I would do this by looking at what different styles that were popular throughout Barcelona's history. Finding out about the city's past in this way will give me a better understanding of the typography i had captured whilst on holiday.

The crit group felt these two ideas were both strong and either could link well with my photos to have successful final content.

OUGD504 - Holiday task

Before the holidays, we were asked to compile a number of photos that explored type in a specific location. This A-Z should include letter forms I found interesting and unique for use within a project at the start of term.

As I was visiting Barcelona over the holidays, I decided to base this project here. I wanted my photos to stand out from other people's responses to the task so used a 35mm film camera to capture the typography I found.

Unfortunately, as film developing can be unpredictable and there was no way to look back through photos, there was a chance that I would miss letters. I therefore decided to find multiple examples of each letter. This would also give me a choice of what photos I could use in the new brief.

My collection of photos can be seen below with a small summary of each image.