Initial Ideas for Booklet design

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When moving on from the research to design stage, I had trouble first putting ideas to paper. I decided to create a mock up page design with elements I would like to include as a starting point that I could develop. Following 6 x 6 guides in Adobe InDesign, I used text and picture boxes to begin the initial orientation. From there I decided I wanted to add more design features, therefore, I used the line tool to create a diagonal cut across the spread to break up the information. From here, I started dividing the page under different titles: History, uses, anatomy and classification of typeface. I decided to use a red, black and white scheme as many of my typefaces are used in the industry with this palette, for example, the Baskerville American Gangster poster seen below, the American Typewriter 'I Love New York' Logo design, the Gill Sans BBC house style and the Mistral NWA 'Straight Outta Compton' album cover. I wanted to keep the bulk of the body copy text clear using simple black on a white page, but for the small information regarding the classification of Baskerville, I used white on a red background to add interest and break up the information. I was keen to focus my designs on the characters of the typefaces, featuring large scale letters as decoration on the pages to accentuate their forms and design. On the anatomy aspect of the spread, I highlighted the letters with red where I was discussing the elements of the characters to make the subject of the annotations clear.



At this point I also wanted to create a house style and continuity throughout the booklet. I decided to create title pages for each typeface to introduce the characters and separate the information clearly. Using the first letter of each typeface, I scaled up the character in white contrasting with a red or grey background as a feature on the page. Then, around the character, placed the title of the typeface using the shapes to mould the text around. As each letter and form were different I was able to vary the idea for each but still create a similar visual. I like the presentation of the titles, but perhaps may include them in a different way in the final booklet after settling on an overall style and design.






After speaking with classmates and reflecting on my design, I feel that it is very condensed with a lot of information and lacks white space and a clear pathway for the viewer's eye. Therefore, I have decided as my next step, to create simple grid designs to allow me to experiment with white space and not to overload the page. I will also develop a plan for the booklet and the amount of pages I want to break my information down into. Alongside this development, I will also research and gain inspiration from other booklet designs, to allow me to think more out of the box and see current professional standards of booklet designs.

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