Rules and How to Break Them by Lorna Milligan

Rules and how to break them. An insight into rules & innovation within publication design.

rules and how to break them. 4

Acknowledgements With thanks to

Mark Edwards Alec Dudson Ben Thompson Matthew Walkerdine Dominique Fletcher Ben Green

Contents

7. Introduction 8. The Double Diamond

10. Diamond 1

34. Diamond 2

60. Interviews 80. How to make your own rules 82. Conclusion 86. Glossary

Introduction The essay explores approaches towards creativity which promotes innovation. Specifically within publication design. it concludes that the Design Council’s ‘Double Diamond’ model is the most successful model to follow as it is most closely related, in both content and structure, to the Innovation Generation’ model. The practical aspect is a publication that will assist students in initiating new approaches towards publication design. It will promote innovation by containing a range of rules. Some of which will encourage a systematic approach by enforcing boundaries and constraints such as Jan Tschichold Penguin Composition Rules. As well as some which encourage a more lateral / intuitive approach like Brian Eno’s ‘Oblique Strategies.’ The book will use the Moire workshop as a case study, exploring which approach, systematic or intuitive, produces the best result. It will also discuss the successes and failures of this particular workshop.

The book will also include interviews with professionals, discussing innovation within their practice and in publication design as a whole. To conclude, the book will relate the rules back to the Double Diamond and encourage students to create their own rules. The book hopes to be innovative in itself. This book will be divided into two diamonds. The first will look at generative rules in design and lateral approaches that can be used when solving a brief and idea generation. The second diamond will contain iterative rules and systematic approaches, which are most successful when used during the development section of solving a brief. This is followed by interviews with working professionals which will disuses innovation specifically within publication design and how they define and approach innovation within their own practice. The final section of this book will look at how you can make your own rules.

The Double Diamond Model Define

the area to focus upon

Diamond 1

Discover

Insight into the problem

Deliver

Solutions that work

Diamond 2

Develop

Potential Solutions

Solution

Diamond 1 Generative

This chapter deals with the first diamond of the double diamond model. It is the generative, therefore this chapter will look at generative rules that produce as many outcomes as possible allowing the designer to then define the strongest ideas and take them forward to develop.

Provocative Operations Edward De Bono Po: Beyond Yes and No, 1973. 1. Escape Pick something we take for granted and drop that (escape from it) 2. Reversal Take a normal relationship and reverse it. 3. Distortion Make a change to the normal sequence or change a relationship 4. Exaggeration Exaggerate any one aspect (or dimension) of an initial statement making it somewhat unreasonable. Avoid exaggerating to zero (or it becomes an escape). 5. Wishful thinking Make a statement in the form “Wouldn’t it be nice if…”. Should be more than just a desire.

6. Random Word The thinker chooses a word at random, or a noun from a dictionary, and associates it with the area they are

thinking about.

RRRIOT Suzanne Martin, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, 2012 1. Rip it apart at the seams 2. Tear down walls 3. Break fro conventions 4. Form stategic alliances 5. Fold your hands 6. Close your eyes and jump 7. Initiate conversation 8. Cut through the layers 9. Expose your inhibitions and flaws 10. Surprise yourself 11. Create inspiration 12. Deliver your dreams 13. Play the game

The Futurist Manifesto F.T.Marinetti, 1909 1. We intend to sing the love of danger, the habit of energy and fearlessness. 2. Courage, audacity, and revolt will be essential elements of our poetry. 3. Up to now literature has exalted a pensive immobility, ecstasy, and sleep. We intend to exalt aggresive action, a feverish insomnia, the racer’s stride, the mortal leap, the punch and the slap. 4. We affirm that the world’s magnificence has been enriched by a new beauty: the beauty of speed. A racing car whose hood is adorned with great pipes, like serpents of explosive breath—a roaring car that seems to ride on grapeshot is more beautiful than the Victory of Samothrace. 5. We want to hymn the man at the wheel, who hurls the lance of his spirit across the Earth, along the circle of its orbit.

6. The poet must spend himself with ardor, splendor, and generosity, to swell the enthusiastic fervor of the primordial elements. 7. Except in struggle, there is no more beauty. No work without an aggressive character can be a masterpiece. Poetry must be conceived as a violent attack on unknown forces, to reduce and prostrate them before man. 8. We stand on the last promontory of the centuries!... Why should we look back, when what we want is to break down the mysterious doors of the Impossible? Time and Space died yesterday. We already live in the absolute, because we have created eternal, omnipresent speed. 9. We will glorify warâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s only hygieneâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;militarism, patriotism, the destructive gesture of freedom-bringers, beautiful ideas worth dying for, and scorn for woman. 10. We will destroy the museums, libraries, academies of every kind, will fight moralism, feminism, every opportunistic or utilitarian cowardice. 11. We will sing of great

crowds excited by work, by pleasure, and by riot; we will sing of the multicolored, polyphonic tides of revolution in the modern capitals; we will sing of the vibrant nightly fervor of arsenals and shipyards blazing with violent electric moons; greedy railway stations that devour smoke-plumed serpents; factories hung on clouds by the crooked lines of their smoke; bridges that stride the rivers like giant gymnasts, flashing in the sun with a glitter of knives; adventurous steamers that sniff the horizon; deep-chested locomotives whose wheels paw the tracks like the hooves of enormous steel horses bridled by tubing; and the sleek flight of planes whose propellers chatter in the wind like banners and seem to cheer like an enthusiastic crowd.

Oblique Strategies Remove specifics and convert ambiguities Think of the ratio Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be frightened of clichĂŠs What is the reality of the situation? Are there sections? Consider transitions Turn it upside down Allow an easement Simple subtraction Remove specifics and convert ambiguities Go slowly all the way round the outside A line has two sides Infinitesimal graduations Make a list of everything you might do and do the last thing on that list Into the impossible Ask people to work against their better judgement Take away the elements in

order of apparent non-importance Accretion Change instrument rules Disconnect from desire Emphasize repetitions Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be afraid of things because they are easy to do Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be frightened to display your talents Breathe more deeply Honour the error as a hidden interaction Only one element of each kind Do nothing for as long as possible Is there something missing? Use unqualified people How would you have done it? Emphasise differences

Moire Workshop A workshop was conducted among six level three students that involved making Moire patterns, the patterns were then made into a publication. The group was split into three groups. Group one and three followed a systematic approach to create the patterns. Group two created the patterns using there intuition and if at any point they found themself struggling they could refer to Edward de Bonoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Oblique Strategies for inspiration. Moire Workshop part one will look at the outcome of group one as they used a generative process and relates to Diamond one in the Double Diamond Model Moire Workshop part two will look at the outcomes of group one and three as they use a systematic iterative approach, relating to diamond tow of the Double Diamond Model.

Moire workshop Brief Each group will make a 24 page booklet of Moire patterns. Each pattern must use the same sized art boards (25.5 x 34.5cm) Each group will make a: a) a Moire pattern made from a template of points b) a Moire pattern made from a template of lines odd numbered groups (1, 3) must follow specific instructions stated in their booklets Even numbered groups (2, 4) must use oblique strategies to guide their design process.

Moire Workshop Part 1 Oblique Strategies (to be used by group 2) Oblique strategies is card based method for promoting lateral thinking. If at any point during the workshop you feel uninspired pick up a card and follow the instructions on it. Then, using a paper clip, attach it to this page. Groups were then asked to create a book from their designs, using any methods they saw fit. Finally they were asked to fill in a feedback form. This is how I will gauge how successful each method was (instructions or oblique strategies)

Feedback Q: Which oblique strategies were the most useful / which had the most impact? Why? A: Layering Patterns - created a structured look and more interesting patterns. Q: What oblique strategies were the least useful / had the least impact? Why? A: Breath deeply, water, humanise your work. These seemed stupid and not useful. Q: How useful did you find the Oblique Strategies? (very useful / useful / no change / useful / very useful) A: no change Q: In what way did the rule make you more or less creative? A: n/a

Q: Any other comments A: we had fun.

Diamond 2 Iterative

This chapter deals with the second diamond of the double diamond model. It focuses on iterative development. This chapter will look at systematic and iterative rules that help designers improve their work by following systematic rules, ready for delivery.

Penguin Composition Rules Jan Tschichold, 1947. 1. Text composition All text composition should be as closely word-spaced as possible. As a rule, the spacing should be about a middle space or the thickness of an ‘I’ in the type size used. Wide spaces should be strictly avoided. Words may be freely broken whenever necessary to avoid wide spacing, as breaking words is less harmful to the appearance of the page than too much space between words, All major punctuation marks – full stops, colon, and semicolon – should be followed by the same spacing as is used throughout the rest of the line.

2. Indenting of paragraphs The indent of the paragraph should be the em of the fount body. Omit idents in the first line of the first paragraph of any text and at the beginning of a new section that comes under a sub-heading, it is not necessary to set the first word in small capitals, but if this is done for any reason, the word

should be letter spaced in the same way as a running title. If a chapter is divided into several parts without headings, these parts should be divided not only by additional space, but also by one or more asterisks of the fount body. As a rule, one asterisk is sufficient. Without them it is impossible to see whether a part ends at the bottom of a page or not. Even when the last line of such a part ends the page, there will always be space for an asterisk in the bottom margin. 3.Punctuation marks and spelling If this can be done on the keyboard, put thin spaces before question marks, exclamation marks, colons and semicolons. Between initials and names, as in G.B. Shaw and after all abbreviations where a full point is used, use a smaller (fixed) space than between the other words in line. Instead of em rules without spaces, use an en rules preceded and followed by the word space of the line, as in the third paragraph above. Marks of omission should consist of three full points, these should be set without any spaces, but be preceded and followed by word spaces. Use full points sparingly,

and omit after these abbreviations: Mr, Mrs, Messrs, Dr, St, WC2< 8vo and others containing the last letter of the abbreviated word. Use single quotes for a first question and double quotes for quotations within quotations, if there is still another quotation within the second, return to single quotes. Publication belonging to a quotation comes within the quotes, otherwise outside. Opening quotes should be followed by a hairspace except before A and J. Closing quotes should be preceded by a hairspace except after a comma or a full point. If this cannot be done on the keyboard, omit these hairspaces, but try to get the necessary attachment. When long extracts are set in small type do not use quotes. Use parenthese () for explanation and interpolations; brackets [] for notes. For all other queries on spelling, consult the Rules for Compositiors and Readers at the University Press, Oxford, or Collinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Authorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and Printers Dictionary. 4. Capitals, Small Capitals, and italics Words in capitals must always be letter-spaced. The spacing of the capitals in lines of importance should be

very carefully optically equalized. The word spaces in line either of capitals or small capitals should not exceed an en quad. All display lines set in the same font should be given the same spacing throughout the book. Use small capitals for running headlines and in contents pages, they must always be slightly letter-spaced to make words legible. Running headlines, unless otherwise stated, should consist of the title of the book on the left-hand page, and the contents of the chapter on the right. Italics are to be used for emphasis, for foreign words and phrases, and for the titles of books, newspapers and plays which appear in the text. In such cases the definite article ‘The’ should be printed in roman, unless it is part of the title itself. In bibliographical and related matter, as a rule, authors’ names should be given in small capitals with capitals, and the titles in italics. 5. Figures Don’t mix old style text composition with modern face figures. Either hanging or ranging figures may be used if they are cut in the font for the text.

In text matter, numbers under 100 should be composed in letters. Use figures when the matter consists of a sequence of stated quantities, particulars of age, &c. In dates use the fewest possible figures, 1946-7, not 19461947. Divide by an en rule without spaces. 6. References and footnotes The references to a footnote may be given by an asterisks of the font body, if there are only a few footnotes in the book, and not more than one per page. But if there are two or more per page, use superior fraction figures preceded by a thin space. Do not use modern face fraction figures in any old style font. Either hanging or ranging fraction figures may be used provided that they are in harmony with the face used for the text. For books composed in any old face letter, we recommended Monotype Superior Figures F627, to be cast on the size two points below the size of the face used. Footnotes should be set two points smaller than the text. Indent the first line of these with the same number of points as the paragraphs in the text matter. Use equal leading between all lines of footnotes, use the same

leading as in the text matter, and put 1-2 point lead underneath the last line in order to get register with the normal lines. For the numbering of footnotes use normal figures followed by a full point and an en quad. These figures may run either throughout the chapter, or even through the whole book, according to the special instructions given by the typographer. 7. Folios These should, as a rule, be set in the same size and face as the text, and in Arabic numerals. Pagination should begin with the first leaf in the book, but the first folio actually appearing is that on the verso of the first page of the text. When there is preliminary matter whose extent is unknown at the time of making up the text into pages, it is necessary to use lower-case roman numerals., numbered from the first page of the first sheet. The first actually appearing cannot be definitely stated, but may be on the acknowledgements page, or at latest on the second page of the preface. In this case, the first Arabic folio to appear will be â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;2â&#x20AC;&#x2122; on the verso of the first text page. Folios for any text matter at

the end of the book, such as index &c., should continue the Arabic numbering of the text pages. 8. The Printing of Plays The same rules should apply to the printing of plays as to the printing prose. Names of characters should be set in capitals and small capitals. The text following is indented. Stage directions should be in italics, enclosed in square brackets. The headline should include the number of the act and the scene. 9. The printing of poetry For printing poetry use type of a smaller size than would be used for prose. All composition should be leaded and the words evenly spaced with middle spaces. The titles should be centres on the measure, not on the first line. The beginning of each poem may be treated as a character opening, with small capitals, &c. Extra leading, especially between verses of irregular length, may often be misleading, as it is impossible to see whether the verse ends at the bottom of the page or not. The safest way of recognising the poetâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s intention is to indent the first line of every new verse, after which leading is not really neces-

sary. Therefore, the first line of the second and following verse should be indented, unless the poet has indicated a shape not allowing for indentations. 10.Make up Books should, with certain exceptions, be made up in the following order: 1. Preliminary pages: half title, frontispiece, title, Imprint or date of the publication, dedication, acknowledgements, contents, list of illustrations, list of abbreviations, preface, introduction, errata. 2. The text of the book 3. Additional matter: Appendix, Authors notes, glossary, bibliography, index. The above should each begin on a right-hand page, imprint and frontispiece excepted. As a rule, chapter headings should be dropped a few lines. The preliminary pages should be set in the same face and style as the book itself. Avoid bold faces. The index should be set in two or more columns and in type two points smaller than the text. The first word of each letter of the alphabet should be set in small capitals with capitals.

Rules to create balanced page layouts Creative Review 1. Use a grid 2. Choose a single focal point 3. Use the rule of thirds 4. Use white space 5. Repeat design elements 6. Use hierarchy 7. Use scale, contrast and harmony

THE DOUBLE DIAMOND MODEL 1. Discover – The first quarter of the Double Diamond model covers the start of the project. Designers try to look at the world in a fresh way, notice new things and gather insights. 2. Define – The second quarter represents the definition stage, in which designers try to make sense of all the possibilities identified in the Discover phase. Which matters most? Which should we act on first? What is feasible? The goal here is to develop a clear creative brief that frames the fundamental design challenge. 3. Develop – The third quarter marks a period of development where solutions or concepts are created, prototyped, tested and iterated. This process of trial and error helps designers to improve and refine their ideas. 4. Delivery – The final quarter is the delivery stage, where the resulting project is finalised, produced and launched.’

Moire workshop part 2 Instructions (to be followed by groups 1 and 3) 1) A Moire pattern made from the superimposition of 2 templates of the same colour (x4) 2) A Moire pattern made from the superimposition of 3 templates of the same colour (x4) 3) A Moire pattern made from the superimposition of 2 templates of different colours (x4) 4) A Moire pattern made from the superimposition of 3 templates of different colours (x4) 5) A Moire pattern made from the superimposition of 4 templates of different colours (x4) 6) Explore how your camera captures Moire, capture the distortion. (x4)

feedback Q: Which instruction was the most useful / which had the most impact? Why? A: The first few instructions were the most useful because they gave us a starting point, something to work from. Q: What instruction was the least useful / had the least impact? Why? A: The instructions towards the end were less helpful as they restricted creativity. Q: How useful did you find the instructions? (very useful / useful / no change / useful / very useful) A: useful Q: In what way did the rule make you more or less creative? A: It felt like a bit too much of a restriction playing around more without the instructions

would have lead to more interesting patterns. Q: Any other comments A: Educated us about the endless possibilities of pattern manipulation.

Feedback Q: Which instruction was the most useful / which had the most impact? Why? A: Initial instructions explaining the creation of patterns on illustrator was very useful in general, but with the instructions in the booklet I think the two different colours one was the most useful Q: What instruction was the least useful / had the least impact? Why? A: maybe no. 5 â&#x20AC;&#x2DC; A Moire pattern made from the superimposition of 4 templates of different colours (x4)â&#x20AC;&#x2122; because I already knew how to layer the colours up by then, it was still fun though. Q: How useful did you find the instructions? (very useful / useful / no change / useful / very useful) A: very useful Q: In what way did the rule make you more or less

creative? A: transitioning from more restrictions to less made me think creatively in different ways as the task went on. Q: Any other comments A: Good explanations.

workshop analysis Overall the workshop was quite unsuccessful. The sample group was 50% smaller than I intended it to be. This meant not enough data could be gathered for a fair comparison. I also think the participants didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t understand the intention of the workshop, and instead concentrated more on the actual manufacture of the patterns rather than the ways in which they came up with ideas to create new patterns and the impact the rules or oblique strategies had on this creativity. This is clear in the feedback received. This was because i didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t emphasis the importance of the ways of thinking involved. If I was to conduct this workshop again I would put more emphasise on idea generation and creativity rather than advertising it as a pattern making workshop.

Interviews with designers

Interviews with designers and publisher within publication design.

An independent design studio based in Manchester. What methods, strategies or rules do you use to create innovation in your work? Always pushing against how things should traditionally look

How do you define innovation in publication design? The constant questioning of the status quo

Can you give any examples of innovative publications?

Cactus is always good. Also shoplifters by Actual Source

An interview with Mark Edwards

A l e c Dudson 64

Founder and Editor of Intern Magazine. What methods, strategies or rules do you use to create innovation in your work?

My general approach is to look at what we’ve done before and try to forward thinking in the way we evolve or shift from that. There is a need for there to be constant elements in magazines as you don’t want to alienate your readership, but depending on the context of the publication, there’s often space for play and experimentation.

How do you define innovation in publication design?

Innovation in publication design is when boundaries and rules are intentionally and meaningfully pushed, shifted or broken in order to create an engaging experience for the reader.

vative publications? Definitely check out The Exposed it was a cool idea while it lasted. The mag was accompanied by a custom made app that brought the content in the mag to life in digital form. CRACK’s recent interactive cover is tight, scroll 3/4 down this feature to see how it looked. Probably the most fun is issue 53 of McSweeny’s where a few of the articles were printed on balloons which you had to blow up to read. There’s also an interesting approach to online publication from Folch, who only allow their ‘insight’ features to be viewed a set number of times before they block access to them. Finally, I’m obsessed with the New York Public Library’s insta novels. Such a clever way to make classics accessible to a wider audience in a manner that they’re highly likely to engage with. It’s a project that Mother NYC produced for them.

Can you give any examples of inno65

Independent Publisher and Art Studio Do you have any rules or strategies in place in regards to choosing publications to stock?

The publications in stock at Desire are all works weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been a part of the creative process. Be that be the design, curation or concept. eg. Closer Journal as a Desire project was our concept, we designed the journalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s layout and identity fully and we curated the photographers, artists and designers who feature in the publication. ...alternatively eg. Ordinary

Fragments was a project/ concept set up by Ty Williams & JC Recchia which we were involved in to design the layout and look of the book, help curate the photographs included and publish the finished product. We have no real rules set up for what we do and do not publish. It has to be something we truly believe in and are impressed by. As design studio we feel anything we publish has to have our creative mark or stamp on it, through the design/ identity and that collaboration with the artists we work with is the most important thing to us.

How do you define innovation in publication design? To innovate you must break the rules. But to break the rules you must know them. For us, innovation is to constantly looking for new ways to convey an idea. New layouts, new typefaces, new arrangements that challenge the reader, rather than spoon-feeding them; but to make something new you need to understand the classic, the safe and the regular. I think modern design sometimes forgets how important the design that has come before it is, and we like to make nods to that past design. eg. in Closer Journal; using typefaces like Times New Roman, a font everybody is familiar with and can has been stock on any computer Word program since their birth, but giving it a new lease of life through layering, overlaying textures and pairing with

more radical typefaces. You can’t be afraid of making a bold move in design, because trends start from those bold moves. It’s a snowball effect. In both our publications Digital Ceremony & Closer Journal we included DJ mixes via embedding QR coding into the printed pages. Inviting the reader to use modern technology eg. their iPhone/ Smartphone to scan the code and download the mix from the printed pages to their device. We love the idea of mixing something so archaic like print and something so modern like coding together to form a new language. We can’t claim to be the first people to do this, but we’re hoping this is a direction that print media will take forward in it’s future.

Can you give any examples of innovative publications? Anything by Actual Source. They have a real grasp on design and are always pushing it. Portraits From Inframince Annika Soja & Lena Manger - Zeitgeist Issue 1. so hard to find info on this mag, but easily our favourite release of the year. Adam Griffiths Kiosk

A Plume Museum P r e s s

Publisher of single-authored books of writing by artists.

Do you follow any rules or strategies when choosing what to publish?

Essentially, we publish writing by artists or experimental practitioners. We publish two books a year and an annual called ‘A Plume’. This selection is done through research. It might be that we find a text or artist we want to work with then pair it with another one that we feel work together. It’s a pretty fluid process. Then the two writers curate a journal (A Plume) with Jess and the writing is often on a central subject or idea/mode of writing. These items are new, old, finished, unfinished, it depends and then they’re edited and compiled for the design - my job.

How do you define innovation in publication design?

Innovation in publication design depends upon your content. My feeling when working with TEXT, which is largely without imagery, is that the focus must be placed upon clarity and consistency for the ease of the reader. Some may feel that isn’t a very innovative approach and

frankly - whatever! We feel it works for the publications and especially the journal. ‘Innovation’ can, sometimes in my opinion, be misplaced for self-indulgence. Myself and Jessica also run a bookshop in Glasgow called Good Press and we have DEFINITELY had publications come in that are design OVER content. Unfortunate I think. That brings you to the audience. Who will they be? Will they want the designer to indulge? Some very innovative/indulgent publications are coming out of Central Europe. Many hit the mark, some don’t, but there is much more support for the arts and publishing which can assist in risk taking. That’s not to say I haven’t worked on more visual books that have been innovative. Quite often you’re limited by a strict budget and that is where the most innovation can come; adding details, or finding ways to innovate, with a small budget. This could be interesting movements or forms with the text. It could be small physical details with the binding (coloured staples for instance) or using limited amounts of foil. Overall it totally depends upon factors of - CONTENT, AUDIENCE, BUDGET.

Can you give any examples of innovative publications? Take a look at a journal called ‘Bricks from The Kiln’ - they create excellent publications on a budget with lovely details whilst still keeping an approachable and readable publication. I’m a fan of a 70’s publisher called Weproductions who were Telfer Stokes and Helen Douglas. Their books are very much Artists’ books but are wonderful in their construction and form. They’re very simple things but considered in a very rounded way.

An interview with Matthew Walkerdine

D o m i n i q u e

Fletcher

Research led designer exploring the book as a creative form

What methods, strategies or rules do you use to create innovation in your work? My practice is research led, therefore innovation for me is a result of research into a subject/idea. I collaborate with artists or an idea and immerse myself within this subject. The methods, strategies or rules are a result of this research; it could inform the layout/grid it could be the materials I use â&#x20AC;&#x201C; but there is no set of rules that I follow when I design publications other than to allow the research to inform the design. I think this is what allows for innovation; a bespoke process for a bespoke book. I do think setting limitations and rules is important but as I say this will depend and respond on the subject/topic you are working with. You hear it all the time, but I think constraints lead to creativity â&#x20AC;&#x201C; what those constraints are and how you set them perhaps leads to innovation. Innovation is to think differently or to change. I believe in order to think differently we need to be aware of what

already exists. To give an example within my practice, I am not interested in redesigning the way people read but I want to create innovative designs based on the way we already read. Utlising existing knowledge and awareness and responding to this. Rethinking the potential of the physical book.

How do you define innovation in publication design? I may have covered this slightly in my first answer but like I mentioned to me, innovation in publication design is to utilise and consider the platform for communication. I’m interested in the physicality of the book and what sets it aside from other platforms for communication and therefore there has to be a consideration into how we use this tool for communication and why we should use it.

considering not just what is on the page but what’s happening off the page – where is the book read? Who is reading it? When? Respond and rethink the book and this experience. To be innovative is to be aware and to deliver.

A concept is so important. Responding to this concept, creating the rules which support it allows you to measure whether the book is innovative and appropriate. Without a concept I would struggle – It’s a form of generative design based on this concept. Considering every aspect, the book itself but also where the book is read. The physical space, thinking beyond the book as a container for its content. Encompassing the physical experience, the physical entirety of the experience. Experience is the key word here. To read a book should be experiential,

Can you give any examples of innovative publications? Challenging the norms and utilising the form of the book: Irma Book Trapped in suburbia The New Art of Making Books (Ulises Carrion) – Rethinking what a book is beyond being a container of text. The form of the book book – a series of interesting essays surrounding the book form. The thing the book (I can bring this in for you if you want a look) I recently spoke with Piero Bisello from print service ‘Good Surface’. Good surface work in close collaboration with local print shops and essentially use offcuts to print design jobs on. They have a sister publishing house, ‘Surface Utiles’ where they use these offcuts for publications. Responding to the environment concerns surrounding printed matter, again, rethinking and coming up with innovative responses to ensure the book continues to develop and strive – which is important particularly as platforms for communication continue to develop.

Of course there are limitations from this process but as I mentioned in the answer to your first question, these limitations lead to creativity. They discussed a recent project where they had an A1 space available and they ‘gave’ this space to 4 artists who all wanted to make individual books – the artists then had to collaborate on how to split the space. It’s an interesting and new way to explore the book as a collaborative space; and of course, the space given would hopefully inform or work with the concept in some way. To reiterate it’s the process of rethinking what exists which evidences this creativity. (Again, evidencing that it’s important to have these rules in place) I think considerations into what content should belong in a book are important. As my research has developed I am now conscious of what content or ideas are appropriate for the book form (another restriction I set myself.) My recent books, ‘Take me Anywhere’ and ‘and hold’ were ideas made into books because they felt appropriate to exist in the book form. To summarise: Take me anywhere explores themes of loneliness – we typically read books alone, so

it felt appropriate. The book itself is empty when you first flick through; the reader has to spend time alone to create to sequence the photographs provided in the book, physically handling loneliness. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;and holdâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; is in collaboration with a choreographer; exploring the gestures of reading, the space occupied when reading and bringing attention to the body and movements. Responding to how we naturally read but bringing further attention to this process through the design. Both examples are ways which I am trying to reveal the potential of the physical book to communicate. Everything is considered to inform the experience; content, design and environment. There are so many books I admire and of course as designers we are naturally drawn to certain books purely based on aesthetic but for me an innovative publication needs to be trying to achieve something new within the field.

HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN RULES

This chapter will list some rules that will help you create your own.

Find limitations If no obvious limitations, force them Explore laterally List all conventions of that situation / format Do the opposite Use a random word Use randomness to create more associations. Push against tradition Conduct in-depth research Keep the process fluid Consider its physicality

Conclusion

The most common kind of innovation within publication design is incremental innovation. It is a ‘continuous modification of previously accepted practices’ (Norman & Verganti, 2014). To promote this innovation it is clear that some kind of underlying structure is essential. Whether this be within the approach, or in the actual design, like the use of a grid system. Even if implemented only loosely. A systematic approach uses a ‘step by step’ structure in a flexible manner. There is also structure in intuition. The designer must first recognise the problem, analysis it, give the subconscious time to work on it and then come up with a solution. However, the designer may be completely unaware of the structure within this system as it happens subconsciously. Creative designing, outlined in Gero’s (1996) evolutionary process model is more likely to produce outcomes that are unexpected and therefore more likely to be innovative. It would seem that the approach most likely to promote innovation within publication design is a combination of both systematic and intuitive practices. The approaches should be used at specific stages in the design process

and should complement one another. When looking at the generation of innovation, an intuitive approach such as lateral thinking should be use for idea generation stage (stage 1). With the aim of producing as many ideas as possible. The second stage, project definition, is more systematic. Vertical thinking is useful when eliminating less feasible ideas. The third stage, problem solving is best responded to using a mixture of both intuitive and systematic methods. Designers will solve the problem the best way they see fit. This could be done by systematic trial and error or by utilising their experience subconsciously to decipher how to proceed. The Design and development stage (stage 4) should utilise a systematic structure to remove inappropriate ideas and make iterative changes to develop the design. The design councils Double Diamond model is almost identical to the stages involved in innovation generation. It breaks down the process into 4 stages, unlike the Generation of Innovation’s 5 stages, (where stage 5 is ‘marketing and commercialisation’, which is irrelevant to this discussion) omitting the problem solving stage. The approaches used for each

stage also align with that of Geroâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s (1996) generation of innovation stages. This concludes that the most appropriate approach towards creativity within publication design is the Design Councils Double Diamond model as it relates directly to the production of innovation.

Glossary

Em Unit in the Field of typography, equal to the currently specified point size. One em in a 16-point typeface is 16 points. Em Dash A symbol (—), named em dash as it is the same width as the letter ‘m’. Asterisks A symbol (*) used in text as a pointer to an annotation or footnote. En Typographical unit, half the width of an em. Equivalent to half of the height of the font. For example, in a 16 point type it is 8 points. En Dash A symbol (–), named en dash as it is the same width as the letter ‘n’.

rounded brackets. Used for separating citations or other asides from the body of text. Interpolations An interpolation, in relation to literature and especially ancient manuscripts, is an entry or passage in a text that was not written by the original author. Superior and Inferior figures Numerals that are smaller versions of full-size lining figures. These diminutive numerals most commonly appear in diagonal fractions, but they are also used for footnotes and endnotes, chemical and mathematical notations, and occasionally for indicating the cents in prices in display settings. Folios A page number

Hair Space Also known as a Thin Space. A space character that is usually 1/5th or 1/6th of an em in width. It is used to add a narrow space, such as between nested quotation marks or to separate glyphs that interfere with one another.

Back Matter Material, such as indices or appendices, that comes after the main text. Also called “end matter” Font Traditionally, a complete set of characters for one typeface at one particular type size. Often used more loosely as a synonym for “typeface”.

Parentheses A symbol (), also known as

Indention

The amount by which a line of type is set less than a full measure, as when the first line of a paragraph is begun with a blank space of some fixed width. Kerning Reducing the space between letters that can overlap, such as AWAY To etc.. Now a function of our computers, formerly accomplished by cutting the corners off lead type. Letterspacing Extra space inserted between letters in a word. Point A unit of measurement, often used to measure type size, equal to 0.013837 inch. Some modern typesetting systems consider the point to be 1/72 of an inch, or 0.013888... inch. Verso Pages The even numbered, lefthand pages of a book. Half title The half-title or bastard title is a page carrying nothing but the title of a book. Title page A page at or near the front which displays its title, subtitle, author, publisher and

edition. Frontispiece Decorative or informative illustration facing a book’s title page – on the left-hand, or verso page. While some books depict thematic elements, other books feature the author’s portrait as the frontispiece. Appendix The section at the end of a book that gives additional information on the topic explored in the contents of the text. Errata a list of corrected errors appended to a book or published in a subsequent issue of a journal Preface An introduction to a book, typically stating its subject, scope or aims.