Hand Book | Behind The Scenes by Tricha Trains

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CONTENT _01

Strategy

_02

Book size

_03

Grid system

_04

Typography _Typeface _Typeface Application _Headline _Body Text _Pull Quotes _Footnotes _Expressive Typography _Letterpress _Hot foil Press

_05

Imagery

_06

Colour

_07

Folding Method

_08

Paper Type

_09

Printing & Finishing

_10

Bibliography

(*) STRATEGY

In response to the ISTD’s ‘Taboo’ brief, I have created a book that explores the subject of taboo hand gestures around the world. Several widely established offensive gestures are covered along with others that are less notorious among modern society. Through my research, I have found out that there is so much more to hand gestures, and realised the importance of understanding each of their implications individually. As the saying goes “Actions speak louder than words”, each action made by a specific hand gesturehas a particular history tied to it. Most times they are culturally inclined. With that being said, my aim for this project was to produce a miniature guidebook, which targets those who are thinking of travelling to another country but has insufficient knowledge regarding the destination’s cultural aspects. It is common for people to enter a different country without learning the nonverbal cues and cultures of the place; which in turn will cause unintended misunderstanding and misconstructions. Thus, it was my objective to come up with something that is compact and can be conveniently carried around, yet still containing sufficient information needed for a guidebook. With that in mind, I came up with the title —“Hand Book”. Since the guidebook contains content regarding hand gestures; a suitable play of words was applied as the book title. The content information in the ‘Hand Book’ is kept simple and precise. It was important not to over crowd the book with heavy information as it was meant to be a traveller’s guidebook that will be read on the go. The book begins with a brief introduction about the meaning of ‘taboo’ and carries on to short write-ups about the importance of hand gesture knowledge when travelling. Later on, various types of offensive hand gestures are introduced one by one. As a section/chapter divider, I have designed a spread of expressive typography that encapsulates the form of the individual gesture. The overall binding technique of the book is mainly based on the French Fold system, with some spreads using the Gate Fold technique.

The Gate Fold spreads were used to introduce the imagery of each hand gesture with more impactful presentation. Going into typographic detailings, the entire book consists of letter pressed type that is mainly integrated in chapter dividers and headlines. The letterpress blocks that I have used were wood type in order to produce a slightly rugged aesthetic for the Hand Book, given the vulgar and rude nature of the book. The cover of the book however, is presented in a hardcover format with a laser cut die cut window on the cover page, which shows through the first page of the book with a sub-title written “A Travellers Guide to Offensive Hand Gestures Around the World”. For the title on the page, I’ve customized a hot foil stamp with words— “HAND BOOK” that was block pressed on to the cover of my book, which produces an embossed texture. The typeface used through out the book was Din, which is engineered for headlines and road signages, as it is visually bold and impactful. The nature and shape of Din’s condensed typeface ties in well with the graphic element that was applied in the book, which are rectangular colour filled boxes that represents the censorship of the taboo culture. The expressive approach to the use of typography, format and techniques applied in the final outcome of the book makes it accessible to the reader, shocking them with new knowledge of hand gestures.

(*) BOOK

SI ZE

Since this is a guidebook designed for travellers who are constantly on the go, the idea behind this was to create something compact and convenient to navigate. Hence, the book was made to emulate the actual size of a human palm. Also, having the word play in the title â&#x20AC;&#x153;Hand Bookâ&#x20AC;?, really ties it together with the content of hand gestures. With that as the concept, the Hand Book was customized to the size of 11.6cmX16cm (An average size of a palm)

3 CM

Book cloth spine

1 CM

6.5 CM

16 CM

Die cut window (Laser cut)

11.5 CM 2

(*) GRID

SYSTEM

MASTER GRID

03_ Fore-edge margin

06_Column width

02_ Head margin

01_Baseline Grid

07_Bleed

05_ Gutter margin

04_ Foot margin

G R I D SY STE M

MASTER GRID 01_ Baseline Grid

8pt 02_ Head margin

11mm 03_ Fore-edge margin

11mm 04_ Foot margin

11mm 05_ Gutter margin

11mm 06_ Column width

9.33mm 07_ Bleed

3mm

GRID SYSTEM This is the master grid that I created which runs throughout the spreads in the Hand Book. This grid system allowed my content to be laid out in an organized manner to be visually pleasing, despite its expressive and rugged content. It’s also given me the space to explore with different typeface weights and various sizings. With majority of the headlines protruding from the layout page and several expressive typographical spreads, most of the book’s content are not 100% aligned to the baseline grids. This is due to the ‘rule breaking’ approach of the Hand book. However, this grid system still comes to assistance and works efficiently as an initial guide of composition to get the ball rolling. The content and layout of this book is arranged both horizontally and vertically to create a more impactful reading experience.

(*) TYPOGRAP HY

TYPEFACE As explained in my strategy, the typeface I chose to use for this book is the DIN family typeface. My interest towards the DIN family began to gradually increase over the course of completing this project. Firstly, I familiarised myself with the DIN typeface, studying its characteristics and form, and how it can be applied through out the spreads in the book whilst being in sync with the graphic elements. I mainly applied the condensed typeface to all my headlines and the regular typeface for the body copy. After having a digital version of my entire book, I then used it as a template to create letterpress versions of the headline type settings. I used condensed wood type that closely resembles the characteristics of DIN. Through letterpressing, it brings out the typographical detailings of the headline by giving it a certain texture to the type that cannot be obtained via digital means. For the entire book, I experimented with typographic detailing within a digital format as well as analogue. This allowed me to understand the entire type family at a deeper level.

DIN TYPEFACE _01 REGULAR

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ 1234567890 _02 REGULAR ITALIC

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ 1234567890 _03 BOLD

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ 1234567890 _04 BOLD ITALIC

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ 1234567890 _05 CONDENSED REGULAR

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ 1234567890 _06 CONDENSED BOLD

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ 1234567890 _07 CONDENSED BLACK

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ 1234567890

TY P O G RAPHY

TYPEFACE APPLICATION

Sexual comment/Sexual insult/Copulation

The hand is closed so that the tip of the thumb protrudes from between the first and second fingers.

(*) Background This is the ancient obscene gesture, known as the Fico, in which the thumb represents the inserted penis

(*)

Other meanings of the Hand Fig: 01_ Female Genitals 02_ Symbol of Virginity 03_ Symbol of Female Arousal 04_ Symbol of Copulation 05_ Phallic Gesture 06_ Worthless Object 07_ Nose Joke 08_ Barbarossa Insult

(*) Distribution

(*)

Turkey, Russia, Indonesia & Northern Europe-especially Denmark, Holland, Belgium and Germany

DIN Regular Italic

(*) The nose-joke scatter is widely used. In Spain

there is a local variant of the joke interpretation; instead of saying ‘I’ve stolen your nose’, the message becomes ‘I’ve cut off your penis’.

! @# 64 %(* )

(*)

I’VE CUT OFF

H A N D

(*) Action

PENIS

(*) Taboo Meaning

!@ # 6 3 %( * )

F I G

DIN Bold

YOUR PENIS

DIN Condensed Bold

DIN Regular Italic

I’VE

ACT IONS DIN Condensed Bold

SP E A

DIN Bold Italic

6 2

TY P O G R APHY

(*) Taboo Meaning

Action

The stiff middle finger is thrust upwards

With this well-known gesture, the middle finger symbolises an erect penis. The other digits, curled on either side of it, represent the testicles. This is one of the oldest sexual insults known. It was popular in Ancient Rome and references to it occur in the works of classical authors. It was so notorious that the middle finger became known as the digitus impudicus-the indecent finger. The scandalous emperor Caligula is said to have extended his middle finger when offering his hand to be kissed, as a deliberate way of outraging his subjects.

(*) Different uses of the Middle Finger 01_ Middle Finger Bend 02_ Middle Finger Down-Prod 03_ Middle Finger Erect 04_ Middle Finger Flicker 05_ Middle Finger Press

!@#3 0 %(*)

06_Middle Finger Suck

(Pages 34-35)

YOURSELF

T H E

M I D D L E

(*) Background

(*)

Widespread; especially common in the United States, where it is known simply as â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The fingerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.

FUCK

Sexual Insult

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(*) Distribution

!@#2 9 %(*)

F I N G E R

HEADLINE

The headline for each spread varies in size and layout (Horizontal/Vertical) and does not necessarily conform to the appointed baseline grid system (as rationalized earlier)

PRE

!@# 1 1 % ( *)

(Pages 14-15)

The importance of human gestures has been greatly underestimated. Students of linguistics are everywhere, and the analysis of human language is a widely acccepted scientific subject, but the gesture specialist is a rare bird indeed-not so much a vanishing species, as one that has hardly yet begun to evolve. There are two reasons for this. In the first place, gestures have quite wrongly been considered a trivial, second-class form of human communication.

!@# 1 2 % (* )

(*) C O N T I N U E S T O N E X T P A G E

FACE

Another layout example with a different headline variation

DIN Bold 8pt, aligned left, Vertically inclined Tracking 800

Name of Hand Gesture ! @# 104 %( *)

D O U B L E

known as the Moutza gesture. With many people who use it today, its ancient origin has been completely forgotten, but it retains its powerful message none the less. Like many ancient gestures, it has acquired a modern ‘explanation’.

A popular insult between drivers in traffic jams, it is

!@ # 103 % ( *)

M O U T Z A

This is an ancient Byzantine gesture dating from the time when criminals were chained up and put on display in the streets. It was the custom for local tormentors to pick up a handful of filth and push it into the face of these helpless captives. This action has survived into modern times as a symbolic gesture, in which the handful of filth is imaginary and the victim is someone who has simply caused annoyance.

(*) Background

as if pushing something into his face

The palm is thrust towards the companion,

(*) Action

Insult/Anger

(*) Taboo Meaning

M O U T Z A

(*)

‘TO

HELL

WITH YOU’ There is also the ‘Double Moutza’, which is to extend both hands as moutzas, specifically offensive when slapping the back of one hand with the palm of the other.

requesting that someone should move back, could be misunderstood as the viciously insulting Moutza.

For foreign visitors who are unfamiliar with the Moutza, there is a constant risk that a simple hand signal,

digits displayed by the thrust hand represent five different sexual acts the gesturer would like to perform with the victim’s sister. This interpretation helps to keep the gesture alive in present day Greece.

As is other cases, this invented explanation is sexual in nature. In this particular case, it states that the five

BODY TEXT TY P O G RAPHY

The body text in this book followed a system in terms of hierarchy, A bold weight with the size of 8pt for the sub title on the left hand corner of the spread, a regular and bold weight of 6pt for the content descriptions. I made the decision to use 8pt and 6pt as it was important to ensure that the body text was not only legible but also not too optically crowded.

I wanted to create a contrast between the oversized headlines (that protrudes the spreads) and the body text. In order not over crowd the page, my body text was type set to 6pt/8pt. This allowed more flow of negative spaces running through the spread that creates a balance in layout as well as breathing space.

(Pages 108-109)

(*) Taboo distribution

Greece

Sub-titles

Content descriptions

DIN Regular 6pt, aligned left, Vertically inclined Leading 11pt

DIN Regular/Bold 6pt, aligned left, Vertically inclined Leading 9pt

TY P O G RAPHY

PULL QUOTES There are several pulled quotes put in place in this book. The pull quotes are mainly from spreads in this book that contains write ups/articles (Example spread: Cultural Differences). One of the methods which demonstrates the importance of pull quotes from the block of texts is the incorporated rectangular block, which has fill colour of red/black/white used to highlight the important lines of texts from the entire paragraph.

URAL

Example as shown in layout below:

we may do tomatic reaction on or to greet may even read orrectly.

and Italy motion” with .

are many n be misconstrued In Greece, for hold out your f to say “stop” asting a curse

Culturally we learn what is acceptable and what is not from those around us. These are actions that have been passed down for generations. Some of these may include flipping someone off. This is an action that we know to be obscene, crass, and a direct insult. This gesture dates back over 2500 years in Ancient Greece. This same emotion, insult, or thought is given as an “ok” sign in France and Latin America.

Whereas in many western cultures the elderly are looked down upon or disregarded all together.

Many people who consider themselves well versed in another language may portray the exact opposite when visiting

By realizing that there is more to communication than just what we say there may be bridges built that help to

another country if they have not also learned the nonverbal cues and cultures of where they are visiting.

span the cultural differences.

Nonverbal communication is just as, if not more, important than the verbal communication we may engage in. Though the insult may be unintended with some research into the culture that a person wishes to visit would greatly reduce many misunderstandings.

the street and nger casting uld not be y would be sture. In some on means that mission to speak. umbs up sign to ead be saying

Age, gender, and social class are only a few of the instances that must be considered when traveling to another place. In some Asian countries the older the individual whit whom you are speaking the higher you would raise your hands above your head when !@# 1 8 %(*)

Pull quote-Method 1 (Page 21)

Kachka, B. (2008, April). Hand Gestures.

There are many different ways to show your knowledge rather than just speaking the language.

(*)

you bow. This is a sign of respect.

!@ # 3 8 %( *)

Almost entirely confined to the British Isles

(*) Distribution

be explained by a variety of modern rationalizations. punishment, which would destroy their military skills for life, and were so relieved

They dreaded this

the uniquely British occurrence of the gesture.

With this small piece of history forgotten, the gesture would later to make it impossible for them ever to fire their arrows at the French again.

have their bow-fingers (The first and second fingers) amputated,

they all taunted the defeated Frenchment by true origin of the insult V-sign, it would explain

the Norman invasion, English archers were warned that, when they lost their battles, they would

Pull quote-Method 2 (Page 43) and the forefinger and middle finger extended to form a V shape. The other two fingers are fully bent. The hand is jerked upwards in

The hand is raised in front of the body, with the palm towards the gesturer’s face

(*)

Background

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It is said that, during

T H E

when they won a famous battle that, afterwards,

S I G N

ERENCES

! @# 3 7 % (* )

to blow up the pull quotes

in terms of size and weight. Making it shout expressively

(*) Action

Obscene/Sexual insult

(*) Meaning

the air one or more times.

The next method I used was

along the layout of the spread.

UP YOURS

! @# 17 %(*)

NCES

An example of a verbal acccompaniment for the V-Sign gesture is “Up yours!”

TY P O G RAPHY

FOOTNOTES

The footnotes in my book have been put in place to refer the viewer to the original source of the content, which refers to the author’s descriptions. My footnote is derived from the graphic symbol, which I created for this book. It is based on the concept of taboo, and is a representation of swearing in a format of symbols. The usage of the footnote is a small detail that informs the reader without taking over the page. As shown below, a small section of the graphic symbol is dissected and applied as my footnote:

!@#%(*) (*) Footnote icon

Example of footnote application in spread:

CULTURAL (Pages 20-21)

! @ # 1 7 %( *)

H A N D G E S T U R E S & C U LT U R A L D I F F E R E N C E S

Gestures that we do every day in a warm and inviting way, like waving hello for example, can be misunderstood in the wrong environment. When we wave hello to a friend across the room we may wave our arms back and forth. In many cultures this means “no” and in India for “come here.”

When traveling, there are many different things that can be misconstrued by those watching you. In Greece, for instance, if you were to hold out your hand in front of you as if to say “stop” you would instead be casting a curse called the moutza. Imagine walking down the street and having a complete stranger casting a curse on you. This would not be welcomed and certainly would be considered a hostile gesture. In some Asian cultures this action means that you are requesting permission to speak. If you were to give a thumbs up sign to an Iraqi you would instead be saying “Up yours.”

Whereas in many western cultures the elderly are looked down upon or disregarded all together.

Many people who consider themselves well versed in another language may portray the exact opposite when visiting another country if they have not also learned the nonverbal cues and cultures of where they are visiting.

By realizing that there is more to communication than just what we say there may be bridges built that help to span the cultural differences.

There are many different ways to show your knowledge rather than just speaking the language.

Kachka, B. (2008, April). Hand Gestures.

We learn that “Common hand gestures… routinely sow confusion in everything from the simplest tourist transaction to moments of great import” according to the article “Hand Gestures” by Boris Kachka. (*)

For example, in Greece and Italy making a “beckoning motion” with your hand means hello.

! @ # 18 % (* )

In society today we feel that we have a pretty good grasp on what gestures of our body are appropriate and which ones are not. That may be true in our social realms but what happens when we travel to another country? Or when we are surrounded by people of a different culture? It is important to know the habits of cultures you are planning on visiting as a simple “thumbs up” could be a rude and socially unacceptable gesture.

These are motions that we may do without thinking, an automatic reaction to get a friends attention or to greet them. We as travelers may even read a persons greeting incorrectly.

(*)

DIFFERENCES Footnote Footnote

TY P O G RAPHY

EXPRESSIVE TYPOGRAPHY

Example applications

As an opening page before the introduction of each hand gesture, I created a full gate folded spread with the name of the hand gesture letterpressed onto it. As you flip through the book, you will encounter an expressive typographical spread (for example â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;THE MIDDLE FINGERâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;) before flipping over the gate fold to find out what the hand gesture looks like. Each typographical layout mimics the shape and form of the hand gesture itself.

Letterpressed version

CONCEPT

Digital version

I shot photographs of my own hand and studied the form and motion direction of each gesture when enacted . I then created several typographical layout sketches based on the studies conducted.

Photograph descriptions as follow:

THE MIDDLE FINGER

THE V-SIGN

TY P O G R APHY

VERTICAL HORN SIGN

HORIZONTAL HORN SIGN

THUMB UP

HAND FIG The nature of this hand gesture is compact, hence the kerning and type arrangement is set to be tighter and closer to each other

TY P O G RAPHY

HAND PURSE

FINGERS CROSS

FOREARM JERK

THE RING

TY P O G R APHY

TAPITA

TEETH FLICK

MOUTZA/DOUBLE MOUTZA

FOREFINGER INSERT

TY P O G RAPHY

HOT FOIL PRESS

Letterpressed sample measurements

Digital measurements sent to Metallic Elephant to produce to hot foil metal plate

Final prodcuct of customized Hot foil stamp block from Metallic Elephant

‘Hand Book’ was type set in Din condensed bold with individual kerning for each letter

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Refer to ‘Progress & Development’ Booklet to read more explanations about the hot foil pressing process and development works for it.

TY P O G RAPHY

LETTERPRESS The main titles and headlines in this book were letterpressed on to the digitally printed spreads. The steps taken to letterpress each of these spreads have taught me to be more observant towards typographic detailings such as the kerning, tracking and leading in texts paragraphs. The texture that was obtained from the letterpress wood type gave out a nice grungy and rugged effect that ties together with the culture of the Hand Book.

An example of a letterpressed spread:

Letterpressed -Final print Wood type 16 line Condensed san serif

Wood type Grot Bold Condensed San Serif 8/10/16 line

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Refer to â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Progress & Developmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Booklet to read more explanations about the letterpressing process and development works for it.

(*) FOLD ING

M ETHODS

The spreads in this entire book was based on the French Fold technique. This folding technique created a visually interesting outlook on the folds when the pages are stacked onto each other. (refer to image below) The colour formation of each page when stacked together, formed rectangular red and black block patterns which compliments the main graphic element that was applied through out the Hand Book.

Main graphic element

Mock up versions

Creates streak of block patterns

The French Fold also benefitted greatly in terms of bringing dynamism towards the typography arrangements in order to function with more impact when reading. An image of the mock up as shown below: (Page on the right is a gate folded)

When gate fold is closed

When gate fold is opened up

When gate fold is closed

When gate fold is opened up

(*) IM AG ER Y I have created a set of visuals illustrating all 14 different type of hand gestures. The illustrations are displayed inside the gate fold of each chapter spread to complement the content provided in the book. The reason for having these images incorporated in the book was to bring visual clarification to the reader by projecting an image into their minds after going through each gestureâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s name. This makes it easier for the reader to relate. Images shown below are simplified digital illustrations of all the hand gestures featured in the Hand Book. It is illustrated in single colour with a slightly rough and textured feeling to it.

Overview of imagery applications across all spreads of the Hand book

(*) COLOUR

The colour applications used in this book consists of red, black and white. I chose these three colour palattes as a combination, as it projects a strong and impactful mood/outcome that deeply highlights the vulgar and rugged nature of the entire book. Using alternate and inverted variations of red, black and white as the background colours through out the spreads of the book, helps stir more excitement and curiousity from the reader.

COLOUR COMBINATION

RED

BLACK

WHITE

C _0 M _100 Y _100 K _0

C _0 M _0 Y _0 K _100

C _0 M _0 Y _0 K _0

COLOU R

Overview of colour usage applied across all spreads of the book

(*) PAPER

TYP E

The paper stock I used for the inner pages of the book is the 140 gsm Dalum Recycled Paper. The paper is off-white and slightly textured, which works best to compliment my layouts. As for the cover page, I wanted to keep it simple yet maintain the vulgar/rugged nature of the book. With that in mind, I decided to use a hardback grey board with the title—‘Hand Book’, hot block pressed on to it which creates an indentation/embossed effect.

Dalum recycled 140 gsm

(*) PRINTING

Gray board

& FI NI SHI NG

For the hardcover, I customized a hot foil stamp that was used as the template to block press the title “HAND BOOK” on to the cover. The headlines and title pages in the book went through several rounds of letterpressing process. The first step was to get all the type set ready and doing multiple proof prints before moving on to the printing press for the final print. Before letterpressing, the spreads (single sided & double sided) were digitally printed at the printing station at the Cockroft Building in Moulsecomb.

The binding of the entire book and its finishing has all been hand done other than the final trim, which has been done on the guillotine to ensure the fore-edge is flush and the top and bottom of the booklet has been cut to the crop marks. The method I followed for binding began with creasing each spread down the middle and folding in half, once all spreads were folded correctly I had to cut the tip-ins to the correct size, place them in the relevant pages and then stitched the outer parts of the spread together in a stack with the French Fold bind. After that, the bounded stack of spreads were then attached to the hardcover.

Fraction of the digital print outcomes

(*) B I BL I OG R AP HY Morris, Desmond. Gestures, Their Origins And Distribution. New York: Stein and Day, 1979. Print. Morris, Desmond. Bodytalk. London: Cape, 1994. Print. Morris, Desmond. Peoplewatching. London: Vintage, 2002. Print. Kachka, Boris. Hand Gestures And Cultural Differences. 2008: n. pag. Print. Givens, David B. The Nonverbal Dictionary Of Gestures, Signs & Body Language Cues. 1998. Print. Oxforddictionaries.com. Taboo - Definition Of Taboo In English From The Oxford Dictionary. Web. 7 Ways To Get Yourself In Trouble Abroad. Web. Cracked.com. 7 Innocent Gestures That Can Get You Killed Overseas. N.p., 2008. Web. Dauntless Jaunter Travel Site. Common Gestures In One Place, But Offensive Elsewhere. N.p., 2011. Web. Heddleston, Sara. These 10 Gestures May Seem Innocent. But Do Them In The Wrong Place And You’ll Get Punched In The Nose. ViralNova.com. N.p., 2014. Web. Obscene Gestures From Around The World. 2013. Web. Rude Hand Gestures Of The World: A Guide To Offending Without Words. 2011. Web. Telegraph.co.uk. Abusive Gestures And How To Avoid Making Them On Holiday. Web. Telegraph.co.uk. ‘Rude Hand Gestures Of The World’. Web. The Huffington Post. Gestures To Avoid In CrossCultural Business: In Other Words, ‘Keep Your Fingers To Yourself!’. Web. The Meanings Of Hand Gestures Around The World. Web. Travel. World Travel- Rude Gestures: Ninemsn Travel. Web. V, Reading-Body-Language.co.uk. ‘Hand Gestures’. Readingbody-language. Web. Vidani, Peter. A Glossary Of Gestures For Critical Discussion. Criticalhandgestures.tumblr.com. Web. Vinciguerra, Louise. 10 Taboo Gestures Around The World. Venere Travel Blog. Web.