MMLSC Maria Margarette L. S. Concepcion Art 333: Photobook January 30, 2013 Homework Two: Reaction Paper I really enjoyed reading Craig Mod’s essay. He was very articulate and provided some useful insight on what has been happening to covers like the CD Jewel Cases and their booklets, record jackets, and the cassette tape insert but specifically book covers. He had discussed how people perceived digital book covers compared to the more traditional physical cover. I know exactly how Craig felt when he visited the Japanese Bookstore in Kinokuniya. I took Sue Johnson’s Art 347: Bookmaking class in the Fall 2011 Semester. It was a pretty interesting and fun class. I learned a lot about the process of how to make a book, how much time and planning it will take to design the cover, create the sequence of the book, and decide whether or not the book should have just images or text. After taking that class, I developed a love and appreciation for handmade books. In Craig’s essay, he had made some interesting points. With advancing new technology in the twenty first century, books are accessible in a digital format. People can use their devices such as the Nook, Kindle, or iPad and read on the go. I do not have such devices nor will I conform. I for one do not like having digital book copies. There are some advantages such as having easy access to books on the go but I like having a book in my hand and experiencing the story by actually flipping through the pages. It was interesting how Craig mentioned when we look or buy books online for example Amazon, there are thumbnail versions of the book cover. There is that saying, “Never judge a book by its cover.” But people unconsciously judge a book by its covers anyways. This semester, I am taking a Movie Poster Design class where we examine Movie Posters since the 1920’s to the present. The overall composition, the color
MMLSC palette, the text and images on the poster are important elements that will influence whether or not people will go out and see the movie. Nowadays, people looking or buying books on amazon mostly focus on the ratings instead. I think now, designers have to find a way to make a cover of a book more interesting and engaging so that consumers are willing to take a look. The series of Oliver Stacks Cardon Webb had a very clever design and presentation of his books. He had created tiny thumbnail versions of the covers but as a whole he had created an image. I thought that was very clever of him. As for the other reading by Alan Rapp “The Photo Book Will Rise Again,� he believes there is a chance for Photo Books to become popular again through independent published Photo Books. There could be a possibility of that happening but I would imagine there would be more digital copies of the books rather than the physical book because people have access to this material through their electronic devices such as the Nook, Kindle, iPad.