READ TO THE
FUTURE
READ TO THE
FUTURE
Yu-Hsuan Jamie Chen
THE GREATEST GIFT IS A PASSION FOR READING. —ELIZABETH HARDWICK, American novelist
Contents 1
Introduction Why Is Reading Important?
6
The History of Books
8
The Codex
10
Gutenberg’s Invention
14
Current Reading Trend
18
Internet Reading
20
E-book Trend
26
The Future: Personalized Books
28
Personalization
34
Readers’ Preferences
36
Draw from Imagination
40
The Future: Interaction
44
Interact with Form
50
Interact with Text and Images
References Photo Credits
WHY IS READING IMPORTANT?
3 Reading is essential for human to gain knowledge and create imagination.
A
book contains printed pages of text bound between two covers, and it spans about two thousand years. From papyrus codices to ebooks, books helped stimulate the growth of civilization and foster the spread of knowledge. When you are reading, you’re somewhere in a misty cloud that just formed around your head, immersed in a story, in a debate or in an explanation of some facts you’re discovering. This immersion is essential for you to get value out of your reading, whether it is emotions or knowledge.
Introduction
4
TO READ IS TO FLY. Read to the Future
—A.C. GRAYLING, English philosopher
Book sculpture in Sydney shopping centre.
you both information and knowledge, and it teaches you to distinguish between the two. You eat to keep your body fit and working. Then reading is the food for your mind and soul. Reading informs you of what's happening around, helps you remain updated about what's changing and not just that. Reading encourages you to think and imagine, think out-of-the-box and imagine the impossibles. It's through reading that you understand that knowledge knows no bounds and the hunger for it is insatiable.
Introduction
English philosopher A.C. Grayling had said, “To read is to fly: it is to soar to a point of vantage which gives a view over wide terrains of history, human variety, ideas, shared experience and the fruits of many inquiries.� Reading is really like taking a flight to great heights in pursuit of knowledge. It's a journey towards enlightenment. Even if you have read one good book in your life, you will know what reading gives. It gives you incomparable pleasure. Read one good book and you will know what the joys of reading are. Reading nourishes your mind. Reading gives
THE HISTORY OF BOOKS
A detail of an illuminated manuscript on display in the Tesoro of the Catedral de Santa MarĂa de Toledo.
9
The Codex
T
he codex was the early form of what we know as a book—that is, pages bound together. The term “codex” is Latin for “block of wood.” Papyrus codices date from the First Century A.D. and by the Fourth Century A.D. codices (of papyrus or parchment) had supplanted scrolls as the reading devices of choice. Codex users valued the format over scrolls for the same qualities we value in books today— portability, ease of finding your place, and the ability to write on both sides of the page. The codex form became more refined as paper-making and book binding and book case-
The History of Books
Parchment sheets are stitched together with a hard cover.
making became more sophisticated. But until the middle of the 13th Century, books required a tremendous amount of effort to produce. Each copy was transcribed by hand and sometimes illuminated, which means it was decorated with gold and silver paint and illustrations. And it took months, or years, of labor to complete a single volume. The process was so laborious that the work was usually reserved for religious texts. Then, in the mid 1400s, Johannes Gutenberg’s invention of the printing press rendered book making much, much easier.
10
Gutenberg’s Invention
Read to the Future
Johann Gutenberg is nearly universally credited with being the inventor of the printing press, the father of the modern printed book, and a communications catalyst who opened up the world to the quick and efficient spread of knowledge and ideas. Gutenberg was a man passionately dedicated to the idea of the mass production of printed pages, an inventor who borrowed money in order to see his work through to completion, and one who was extremely secretive about his ideas while they were in development. Some conjecture that Gutenberg’s exposure to metal casting methods in the family goldsmithing business gave him the skills necessary to create the individual, reusable letters cast in metal—the “movable type”—to set pages. The Gutenberg Bibles, which date from the 1450s, are considered to be the first books printed in the Western world and, although they don’t bear the printer’s name anywhere in the volumes, are attributed to Gutenberg’s first printing efforts.
Prior to the invention of the printing press, books existed in codex form; that is, books were hand-copied and a Bible would take around two years to produce. Most of the general public would have seen a book—that Bible—only in church, and all but the wealthy and learned would have to travel to get a look at one of the classic texts. The efficiencies of using movable type and a printing press to produce books quickly paved the way for the mass production of books and other reading material, including printed handbills advertising these early books. Printed information caught on quickly as a method of communication. For the first time in history, ideas were literally put in the general public’s hands in the form of the printed word, and book publishing enabled knowledge, thoughts and culture to spread faster than ever before.
11 Left: Printing books in 1520. Below: The Gutenberg Bible, the first substantial book printed in movable type, 1455.
12
Gutenberg moveable type. It’s a passage from Gutenberg’s bible.
13
For the first time in history, ideas were literally put in the general public’s hands in the form of the printed word.
The History of Books
CURRENT READING TREND
16
D
Read to the Future
uring the olden times, reading was limited to just books, only books. Today, we have the Internet housing so much information, hosted on thousands of websites. We have books online and e-book readers that make reading them easy. The web, our new storehouse of information is just a click away. The Internet offers access to a wealth of reading material. Everything from full books to websites on every topic imaginable make it possible and convenient to do a great deal of reading. However, there are advantages and disadvantages to reading online as opposed to using books.
Today, there are more options to read and get information.
18
Read to the Future
E-Reading has become a part of people’s lives.
19 Reading a computer screen is more difficult and tiring than reading pages in a book.
Internet Reading up reading many sources on the Internet, the material will not come in the logical presentation you might get when reading the same information in a book. Unless you find a comprehensive website that covers a topic fully or know the topic well yourself, this can make it difficult to digest the material. Many people find reading a computer screen is more difficult and tiring than reading pages in a book. This can result in a lack of attention that may cause you not to process what you read as well as if you were reading it from a book.
Current Reading Trend
When you read a book, you know who the author is and what his credentials are. This isn’t always the case with material you read on the Internet. Much of what you read on the Internet is either opinion-based or not verified. If you plan to use material of this nature, you will need to do some backtracking to verify some of the facts. This might result in more work than you may have had to do if you’d gotten the information from a book focused on your topic. Non-linear presentations can be an issue with reading on the Internet. Since you may end
20
E-book Trend
Read to the Future
The number of Americans that own tablet computers and e-book reading devices has increased. And, the percentage of adults who report that they have read an ebook in the past year was higher than before. While physical books still lead the industry in sales, it seems inevitable that at some point, e-books will make up the vast majority of book sales while physical books will fill a niche role. In a survey in February, 2012, 21% of adults said they had read an e-book in the last year, compared to 17% in December, 2011. While a hardcover book obviously limits your reading to a single tome, an e-reader can carry a considerable amount of titles, allowing readers to flip between books without carrying the extra weight throughout their day. The rise of e-books in American culture is part of a larger story about a shift from printed to digital material. However, people prefer using the physical form in situations like reading with children and sharing books with others.
The nation is experiencing a shift from printed to digital reading materials.
Which Format Is Better?
23
Books vs E-books A survey based on 2,986 American readers age 16 and older.
traveling/commuting
reading in bed
73% 43% 45% 19% Books
E-books
reading with kids
Books
E-books
sharing books
81% 69% 25%
Books
E-books
Books
E-books
Current Reading Trend
9%
25
I LOVED THE PAPERBACKS I GREW UP WITH AS A KID. —STEPHEN KING Current Reading Trend
THE FUTURE: PERSONALIZED BOOKS
People like to own things that are personal.
29
Personalization
I
n the future, personalized book will become very commom beacuse people want to be recognized, catered to, and have something unique and personal. There will no longer be only one look and style for one book. Normally, novels and literatures have a lot of text with only a few images or no image at all. For people who are used to reading magazine or coffee table book, it might be tiresome to read books like these. If there is a way to change the style of text-heavy books look and use more images to communicate ideas to readers, more people can feel comfortable to pick up the books and enjoy the subject.
Personalization
30
Read to the Future
Personalization is the process of tailoring pages to individual readers’ characteristics or preferences. Personalization is a means of meeting every reader’s needs more effectively and efficiently and making reading faster and easier. Moreover, the copy of the books will be kept longer and passed on to friends or family. With the advent of Internet, the web has grown largely. The concept of personalization is getting more and more popular. The social media websites, such as Twitter, Facebook, and
Myspace allow people to personalize their pages so that they can express their own personalities and feel satisfied with their users’ experiences. People need a certain amount of personal freedom and control in order to feel secure with a website, book, or consumer product. In the future, people should recognize that users have unique tastes and needs that are related to their broader personal goals, and offer personalization that is context-sensitive.
31
Left: Personalized notebook with an illustration. Below: Users can personalize their Twitter pages.
32
Read to the Future
People need a certain amount of personal freedom to feel secure with a book, website, or consumer product.
34
Read to the Future
Readers’ Preferences
Paper Texture
Typeface and Size
The texture of paper can deliver very different moods to the readers. Some people may like matte standard paper, but others like glossy paper that looks like it’s from a magazine. The cover can also have unique paper texture.
Readers should be able to choose different typefaces, type sizes, and styles which is a meaningful personaliztion because some readers are more comfortable reading large text, and different fonts and styles can be used for emphasis or to convey a certain mood or feel.
35
Image
Color
Readers can choose how many images they want in the book. One who likes to read coffee table books can have more large images. The style of the images is an option as well, such as black & white photos, pop-art photos, or using illustrations instead of photography.
Everyone has their favorite colors. Color is a very personal way to express ourselves. Some people may be more sensitive to red, so using red color to emphasize certain information can enhance the reader’s efficiency.
Personalization
36
Draw from Imagination
Read to the Future
Once readers finish choosing their preferences for a book, they can order it either in e-book format or physical format. Furthermore, if the readers chose digital version, they can generate their own images in their e-books. The images can be from readers’ drawing, or they can apply the brain-detected funtion of the future e-books to “draw” from the imagination. After all the images are done, the digital version will be kept as the way it is, or they can order a physical book that contains their own images. The copy will be one of a kind in the world. With this personalized function, readers can easily create their own picture books. For artists, they can show their drawings that are integrated with text. For parents, they will be able to pass the unique books to thier children.
37 Right: Readers can make their own images by drawing or using brain detect function of the future e-books. Below: A physical book with your own images.
Personalization
Getting a Personalized Books in the Future
find the books you want online
select your preferences this typeface this typeface
printed version
ebook version
create your images
printed version with your images
THE FUTURE: INTERACTION
42
T
Read to the Future
he interactive function is very popular and common in digital reading. The e-reading interaction is an exercise or activity that allows the readers to become more involved with the material, as opposed to simply reading text on the screen. Interaction is often a scenario where readers are presented with a scene of the story or an image of the information that they can touch or play in order to get feedback. This allows the readers to become more involved with the content, with the hopes that the interaction will help them better process, and remember the story. But, this kind of interaction can only be used in e-books today. Therefore, in the future, not only will e-books interact with readers but printed books will have interactive function to make reading more effective and fun.
Interactive reading is very popular in the digital world.
Book Art
Read to the Future
What if the book has interactive cards that can help you learn and memorize?
45
The pages of the book are the old record labels on vinyl.
Interact with Form that can help you learn? The potential for interaction in books can be largely expended. It can bring fun, inspirations, and new experiences to people. Moreover, it will become a creative space for writers, designers, and artists to show their concepts using the form of books. The books will become art pieces that people get to appreciate.
The Future: Interaction
There are a lot of children’s books that allow kids to interact with paper or shapes. If people bring the function more into everyday reading, it will be more interesting for readers to get involved with the stories. What if readers can actually move pages and discover additional contents? What if you press one button and a paper figure pops up? What if the book has interactive cards
46
Left: The form of a tablet with sliding pages can create combinations of text and pictures.
Read to the Future
Right: Readers can open the small flaps to discover more contents.
Combining storytelling with interaction can be a very interesting concept. Some stories may contain more meaning as narrative than it does as documentation of truth. If the future books apply the form of a tablet with sliding pages, readers will experience the stories through the physical structure which corresponds to the shifting storyline. It will also allow the readers to create different combinations of text and image and thus alter the content of the piece, delibe-rately or by chance, with each reading.
Using form to convey ideas will give the reader a chance to directly visualize and reexperience the story in a personal way. Readers get to access to a private reflection of the authors’ point of view in the world of paper, types, and images. Moreover, each book will become unique with its own form. The visual and physical style will engage people’s curiosity. It is like making multiple scenes in a movies, but the environment is on pages.
49
Interaction allows readers to become more involved with the content and helps them better process and remember.
The Future: Interaction
I get inspiration from various fields, such as history, architecture‌
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Interact with Text and Images How can readers interact with text and images when reading physical books? Although e-books are becoming more and more common, a lot of people still prefer printed books because nothing can replace the texture and smell. Therefore, in the future, it will be a big challenge on how to apply interactive funtion to printed books, but still keep the physical feel.
The Future: Interaction
Readers can touch a paragraph and hear the person talking.
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Left, right: Readers can touch a word or picture and learn the right way to speak a language.
Ich habe keine Zeit.
Read to the Future
The future of reading will allow readers to hear the sound of people talking. If you touch a paragraph, you will hear the author, narrator, or interviewee talking directly to you. When people read language learning books, it’s difficult to learn the pronunciation with any sound involed. If readers can touch the word and learn the correct pronunciation, it will be a lot faster than guessing how it is.
Sha la/Sheng tsai
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In the future books, readers will touch the object in the images to receive more information. You don’t need to look it up later, the information is just one touch away. For example, if you would like to know more about a person in the photo, you touch the person, and then the information will pop up. Or, maybe it is a piece of artwork. Readers touch the art, and they will see who the artist is, when and where the art was made. The funtion will make reading and information collecting much easier for the readers.
The Future: Interaction
TO MAKE BOOKS IS TO CREATE PHYSICAL FORM FOR IDEAS. —AUDREY NIFFENEGGER, American writer and artist
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Photo Credits Cover Opening Quote Contents
thedailydoover.blogspot.com. Elvira, 2011. James Bridle, 2007.
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Josep, 2010.
2
Darren Elliott, 2012.
4
Louis Allen, 2011.
6
Britt Chudleigh, 2010.
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Diorama Sky, 2007.
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nickpage.co.uk, 2011.
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(Top) heritage-history.com. (Bottom) Yelena, 2011.
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Richard Rutter, 2010.
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techcrunch.com, 2011.
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Per Palmkvist Knudsen, 2012.
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Getty Images.
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Matthias, 2010.
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sites.davidson.edu, 2011.
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mumsontheblog.co.uk, 2011.
26
Dariela Cruz, 2011.
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Yu-Hsuan Jamie Chen, 2012.
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Shinykins, 2011.
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paledesigns.com, 2011.
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Ben Dashwood, 2012.
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(Top) Lia, 2008. (Bottom) Yu-Hsuan Jamie Chen, 2012.
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(Top) Yu-Hsuan Jamie Chen, 2012.
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(Bottom) Martino, 2007. Yu-Hsuan Jamie Chen, 2012.
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tidbits.com, 2011.
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Ben Dashwood, 2012.
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bestinteractiveebooks.com.
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Marius Watz, 2011.
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kn-db.com, 2007.
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(Left) Flying Fishg Press, 2005. (Right) Flying Fishg Press, 2005.
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Marius Watz, 2011.
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Anthony Smith, 2010.
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Yu-Hsuan Jamie Chen, 2012. Masamichi Katayama portrait from twitter.com.
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Yu-Hsuan Jamie Chen, 2012.
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Yu-Hsuan Jamie Chen, 2012.
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Yu-Hsuan Jamie Chen, 2012.
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Ellen Golla.
Credits Colophon
Yu-Hsuan Jamie Chen, 2012. chemromance99.deviantart.com, 2010.
READ TO THE
Name
FUTURE Yu-Hsuan Jamie Chen
School
Academy of Art University
Course
GR 601: Type Systems
Instructor
David Hake
Semester
Fall 2012
Typefaces
Avenir, FF Tisa
Printer Paper
Blurb ProLine Uncoated