#4 - The Great Divorce

The book I chose is not a bibliography.  "The Great Divorce" by C.S. Lewis was published by HarperCollins Publishers in 2001; originally published in Great Britain in 1946.  This particular collection was published/designed as a series with his other works. ISBN - 0-06-065295-0 (paperback)

The typeface is Times New Roman and it is 11pt font.  I think it was completely appropriate because serif fonts tend to signify a classic feel and that is exactly what his books portray. Times is a very readable typeface.  It's clean and organized.  

There are no indents for the beginning of chapters, similar to the way I've chosen to lay my books out.  However, there are 1/4 inch indents to signify a new paragraph.  One thing I really like about this book is the leading between the lines.  It helps your eye easily jump to the next line and continue.  It is more than most novels which is refreshing.  I think if there were to be a little bit more it would be difficult to create a continuous flow of reading.  There are about 9.5 words to a line on average.  Again, this book is shorter so the designer was able to set keep the typesize larger and the lines farther apart.  It is set in manuscript block, again like how I have chosen to set mine.  I like the centered feel. That is another reason this book appealed to me.  Here are some samples of the inside pages:

Griddled

The more I learn about design, the more I realize just how important it is to make sure all the elements of your design must come together to communicate.  Like the textbook says, a GRID is one way to do this.  In my class presentation, my book series used the block grid.  This newsletter for a financial company uses the column grid.  This grid style is nice for this type of project because it has running text.  It also allows for a lot of flexibility.  Traditionally the margins of this type of grid are twice the gutter size-or 2x.   Flowlines and hanglines allow for subordinate structure in this type of grid. Another type of grid is a modular grid.  It is basically a column grid with a lot of flowlines that help to create a matrix of cells.  When these cells are grouped together they form spacial zones.  You want to be careful when using a modular grid because if you have too many cells then the information can become confusing or redundant. 

Photo

Ok so I forgot a photo...here you go. 

There you have it.

I am a fan of old books. Actually, I am just a fan of books and reading...period. But on my bookshelf at home I love the look of old books.  Trevor showed Brayden and I an old book of this just the other day that I am completely covetous of.  It's a first edition, and about to fall apart, but simply beautiful because of this.  Sorry, I can't remember what it was called.  But anywho, back to the assignment.  A book series that I've always liked the look of is A Series of Unfortunate Events.  Ever since I was a kid these books have appealed to me.  I can't say that I loved the story but the look and feel of the books is great.  One of my favorite things about them is their pages.  They are a darker yellow/brown color and are thick.  The margins are nice and big and the pages don't all line up together so the edges are rough and bumpy.  They are great.  One of those simple things in life that for some reason are satisfying. If you're looking for something that looks good on the shelf, I'd suggest these. 

This dang blawg.

Ok so I agree with Spencer.  I too took what david said literally and quite frankly ended up with a totally boring blog.  So stay posted folks cause I'm working on making it more interesting but at the moment I am having to click every button just to find out how to do the simplest things! So there you have it.  My disclaimer. 

Publication Design

Publication design is difficult to define. For me at least. My first question is what is publication? The dictionary describes it as - 'the act of making something generally known'.  So, if we're trying to define publication design then to me it means any design work that is generally known.  This could be anything from a brochure, magazine, logo, business card, catalog, product packaging to a blog or website.  

A well designed example of online publication is www.designers-who-blog.com.  I like how it feels fresh and clean.  I just recently found it so I can't claim that I read it and view it often...but, I can say that after looking at a bunch of random blogs this one caught my eye.  It has some great art.  It seems modern and up to date.  I also like the color choice and header design they've used.  It feels antique and important.  One of the main things I like about it is all the links it has to other blogs and other art.  Looking around I found some great typefaces!  They seem to know their stuff.  So take a look!