Japanese Book Bind

Chris and I spoke and decided that we wanted to sue a Japanese book bind to create our children's book. The reasons for this were the fact that the book would be large and robust, we could fit quite a few pages in it, and if the book were manufactured properly then it will look very professional. Below I have been looking at a variety of different ways of binding the books and different front covers.

-- I think these books are beautifully done. The materials they use for the covers is magnificent, it gives not only a textured look but when you hold the book it makes it feel more personal then just a plain cover. I really like the thick use of ribbon used as the binder, again instead of hiding the binding it makes it part of the cover, so it all works together.

-- I really love the covers for these books, they make them look so old school. It makes a nice change from just using a dust cover, the only problem is this is more for an adult then a child, as they wouldn't be able to get into the buckles easily, and they will be quite heavy. Having said that I will try and make one of these one day, just to see how easy they are..or not as the case may be.
-- This is a normal bind with a twist, the artist here has clearly decided to use a different pattern instead of the basic in and out and across. I actually prefer this bind, the only problem i can see is that it may bind the book very tight, which we don;t want to do. I really love the symmetry that you can get when using a Japanese bind, it makes the book look so professional and slick.

-- Again this is a variety of different Japanese bound books, but using a variety of different binding techniques. I really like the thick ribbon used, it adds a lovely texture to the books and gives them that extra visual. Each bind is individual and I think it is important to spend time on picking the right bind because they play such a key part to the book.

Children's Illustrated books

Looking at Children's books and what illustrations accompany the text. I have looked at a variety of different books to gain a wide perspective. Not all have text relating to them but some do. Generally these images just use block colouring and a variety of thick and thin lines to create the image. Some are a lot more detailed then others but it just shows they don't have to be detailed in order tow work well. What i do appreciate is the fact that bright colours really add to the images and they become very engaging to the reader, which is very successful when dealing with children.

Childrens Books

It is important for Chris and I to look at what illustrators produce when creating a book for children. Especially for young ages. The books need to be robust and weather well, as kids love to put things in their mouths and chuck them around. Chris and I already have ideas for what we want to do for the book, from the workshops we had previously done in book binding. However I thought I should research the sizes of children's books that are out today. For a previous project i had already looked at children's books and the pop-up capabilities and that was all primary research, so this time i was looking at secondary research. (All previous posts are on DC too).




-- All of these books that i have looked at are very bright and vibrant, with large and colourful illustrations plastered across the front. These are clearly there to entice the child into reading the book, generally when children go for a book they will go to the most eye catching. Each book is bound with cardboard, this makes them substantial enough to be thrown around, chewed and generally ripped. This is something Chris and I will have to bear in mind.

Non of the books are particularly wide, there arn't a lot of pages within them. The books themselves however are quite sizable, which is good because Chris and I originally wanted to do a big book.

All these design factors, Chris and I will have to keep in mind.

What is a line...

E-BOY

I love eboy's work. I find it so invigorating and fresh. the colours are so interesting, the vector based work is so intriguing to look at. There is always so much going on within the work, the detail is astounding.

I really like his style of work, and not only does he do screen work but he also makes products such as socks, t-shirts, shirts etc.

What is a line...

For my What is a line... Brief, i needed to look at a variety of artists that use lines to construct their images. I recently bought a book called 'Graphics Alive' and in that book it had a variety of artists, that created amazing pieces of work with different technique of manipulating a line. Below are some artists taken from the book and others from other resources that i know.

- BLU, Very interesting designs, a time they create scary and intimidating images. Very clever use of lone on a large open space. Gets a range of detail within the drawing that from a far you don't notice until you get closer then you can see.

- City scape, variety of buildings done it different illustrative techniques. really liked the mirror images one, think that works well and may incorporate that into my designs later.

- BLU

- Viagrafik. Really love this work, very detailed illustrations that show a city scape around a room. Everything is thought about. Like that contiunity within the piece. Variety of thick and thin lines help add depth top the pieces. all work done in the bedroom was hand drawn on location.

- Maja Sten, screen printed work, wallpaper. Complicated patterns that have a clear colour palette which works well in establishing a pattern. very interesting illustrative skyline, elegant and sinuous lines.

Recycled cassettes and vinyls

Recycled clothing - Fashion

Fashion has always been an avid supporter of recycling everyday materials into fashionable and unique styled garments. It is interesting to look at these outfits because it makes you realise how versatile some of the day to day materials that we take for granted actually are. I think it is important to understand this in order to create something new because if it can be bent and shaped to fir the form of a body then it can be used to create something new and inventive.

More Recycled products -- Handbags

All these bags are made from different materials. They all have a unique quality about them and although they are functional you can clearly see what they are made from, which i think is very interesting. It makes the purchaser appreciate where the bag has come from and makes you think about the amount of time and effort that has gone into each piece to create these bags.

Drew Millward

i think this guys work is AMAZING. I love the simplicity of the designs, yet once they are layered upon one another they create such intriguing and confusing images, which isn't a bad thing. His use of colour is fascinating and he really know how to utalises his space. The work is all screen printed then made into posters, this is the sort of work that one day i hope to achieve.

Screen Printing and Recycling

We recently did some workshops in screen printing, and i was fascinated by the technique. not only can you create beautiful images but they are so transferable. You can print on anything you want, metal, wood, glass you name it as long as it has a smooth surface you can print on it. Here are some designs i have looked at briefly just to get some ideas.