REFLECTION ON PRACTICE
E D I T O R I A L T C G
FL2017
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JEE KIM
RESEARCH
PROJECT* SUMMARY 03
The objective of the project was to create a multiple-page printed publication using both the provided text (Crystal Goblet) and a secondary text of my choice. The task entailed selecting appropriate images, fonts and treating and integrating both type and image in the service of expressing my overarching concept or point-of-view.
*This project was a response to a prompt in a course, Type 2, taught in Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts.
01 RESEARCH RESEARCH
The process in putting together this editorial was two pronged: one part in which I crafted the content, and another in which I designed the form the content would be delivered. From reading “Crystal Goblet,” I felt Beatrice Warde’s rigorous delineation of what typography should look like throughout the text stemmed from an underlying notion that there is a singular correct answer to what she calls the “science of typography.” Such a narrow and idealized view resonated much with a Modernist attitude, one that is utopian and driven by ideal visions and the understanding of progress as simply a linear concept. While in many parts I did agree with the idea and the importance of “invisible typography,” I was left uneasy after my first read. There was something extreme about Warde’s near idolization of “good design,” especially in the way she so confidently claimed some criteria to be absolute, with which she gave herself a license to be condescending towards those unfamiliar with those typographic conventions. It became more evident the essay would have been written under a heavy Modernist influence once I found the year of publication was 1932, especially as
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Beatrice spells out that “a good typographer is modernist.” Just as with other Modernist ideals that were debunked, challenged or replaced by Postmodernist efforts, I assumed there must have been some sort of a reactionary movement that followed this idea of Modernist design. During my investigation, I stumbled upon a book that basically challenged point by point what Warde outlined in “Crystal Goblet.” Titled “No More Rules: Postmodernism and Design,” author Rick Portnoy thoroughly spelled out how the stringent ideals of Modernist design constrained designers into a claustrophobic creative process. While creatives made various efforts to break out of the Modernist paradigm, which Portnoy collectively called the Postmodernist design, what intrigued me was that Postmodernist design wasn’t necessarily rejecting the practice set by Modernist design; rather it sought to make room for expressiveness in the practice. From examining the two texts closely, I was able to find a thread that could pull the two texts together into a dialog between Modernist design and Postmodernist design.
RESEARCH
While I felt like I got a good grasp of how I wanted to treat my text, I had difficulty gathering images to convey a dialogue so conceptual. Just to start myself off, I looked up images of Postmodernist design, where typography is treated as imagery. For the overall look of the editorial, I looked at as many editorial examples as I could. I felt that I had such a limited idea of what an editorial could look like, what freedom it could enjoy in being expressive. As I looked through a number of stellar works, I took note of compositions that particularly grabbed my attention and looked at why I found them successful. Some of the websites I went to most often included: mikewiley.co.uk and uniteditions.com.
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Editorial inspirations scrapped from mikewiley.co.uk and uniteditions.com
02 DISCOVERY DISCOVERY
In the dichotomic relationship I noticed between the two texts, I saw a clue for how I wanted the editorial to look like. Though there was an option of juxtaposing the two texts together side by side and treating them distinctly, I didn’t want the reader’s understanding of each text to be interrupted as I thought each text, each school of thought, deserved undivided attention on its own. To clearly segregate the reading experience of the two texts, I set the Crystal Goblet text normal on one page and the secondary text upside down on the other, all existing on one spread. I flew the text of each essay only on all the right pages of every spread so that the reader could read the essay just from reading only the right page of each spread. Where the first text ends, the reader would flip the book to start the secondary text, which had been all upside down on the left page when reading the first text. While the flipping of the book acted as a literal transition between the two texts, I thought it could also add an interactive component to the book.
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The complicated part was making each discrete page work on its own while having the two pages, which were upside down from each other, work together as a spread as well. At the same time, I had to calibrate the pacing of the two texts together, where I had to consider the compositional rhythm not only between pages within the same text, but also between spreads. The biggest challenge, however, was coming up with images. While I felt I had a strong clear concept I wanted the editorial to be about, because it was so specific, I had a hard time gathering images I felt were relevant to the text. When I shared my struggle with a classmate, she suggested I zoom out of my concept a bit so to allow room for a visual exploration. While looking up black and white photography just as an inspiration, I frequently came across two kinds of images that were of children. One was of children dressed up in dapper clothing, exuding mannerisms so proper and disciplined they looked almost strange. Another was of children playing, having a ball of a time. I was instantly drawn with the idea of using these children as a metaphor for the two conflicting attitudes in the texts.
DISCOVERY ABOVE
OPPOSITE
Iteration (round 1)
Itearion (round 2)
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DISCOVERY ABOVE
OPPOSITE
Iteration (round 3)
Itearion (round 4)
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DISCOVERY
Because an important part of the book was the flipping of the book, I made the dimensions of the book 8 inch by 8 inch so that it would be easy to manage and interact with. I wanted to bind the book in a way that has a minimal gutter, as a moment in my book an image covers the entire spread was one of the key climactic point in the pace of the book. But since I had a limited number pages to perfect bind, I decided to accordin bind the book. For the cover, I laser cut the letters off of thick black paper so that the color of the inside page shows through. The side from which the book opens with Crystal Goblet would have white showing through, as opposed the side with No More Rules would have yellow. The idea was to reinforce my guiding concept that while Postmodernist design and Modernist design had the same framework, Postmodernist design believed in making room for expression.
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Early brainstorming for the binding of the book
DISCOVERY ABOVE
OPPOSITE
Lasercutting of the cover
The finished cover
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03 REFINEMENT REFINEMENT
Because the two parts of the book had such a stark visual and conceptual contrast, I wanted to minimize variation in other elements of the book. For one, I ended up changing all the call-outs throughout the book, which happens a number of times, to uppercase. As the conflicting quotes from each side were given a consistent typographic treatment, the contrast in idea was really brought forth. After a few mockups, I added an extra set of title pages so not to have to glue the body of the book directly to the cover to keep them bound. Instead, I treated the title pages I already had as the soft cover of the book, to which I glued the pages opposing the new title pages so that the reader would be able to see the new title page on the same side the soft cover had its text. Finally, since the spine of the soft cover was still loose, I glued and taped the spine of the soft cover to that of the hard cover, the one with lasercut letters.
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1. Hard cover 2. Soft cover 3. Title page
REFINEMENT
Final
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04 CRITICISM CRITCISM
The part I enjoyed the most about this project was that the process led itself rather than me controlling the process. I was most stuck when I was trying to make every step I take a definitive one. Only when I pulled back from the “driver’s seat” per se was my creative process able to take off and move forward. The craft of the final outcome was a notable strength; in particular, the lasercut hard cover was a real cherry on top. The elaborate planning and a number of mock ups before making the final product really made the execution smooth. For the most part, I think the final design of the book reflects the best efforts of what I could offer at the current point in my journey as a designer. Although I am not completely satisfied with the entirety of the design, there are still valuable moments where I can see the trace of my own growth.
REFLECTION ON PRACTICE
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NURSERY RHYME
JEE KIM
WORD & IMAGE 2