OUGD504 - Final Crit Feedback

Feedback and Suggestions on Design

For the crit a mock up of the binding was shown allowing people to see the size and format of the book as well as the back to front nature of the book. The inside of the book used an old black and white copy of the book however a colour version of the final designs pages was also shown folded into signatures for people to look through. Examples of the bulky newsprint stocks with double page spreads printed on were also shown to suggest how the images would look in the actual book and to give a sense of the texture of the paper. The cover design that had been chosen was also put out with both colour combinations (gold on black and black on gold) shown to see which people thought would be best.

Questions that were written for the crit and feedback given:

Which cover is the most effective (colour combination in creating an elegant looking book?

It was suggested that the Gold on Black was effective in summing up the culture and wealth of Dubai by creating a regal and expensive feel to the publication.
It was also said that perhaps the black on gold would also work well if the gold was foiled or elements were embossed on the front as a way of showing wealth and luxury. It was also suggested that black with gold foiling would work well as a way of conveying the extremes and contrasts found in Dubai. Although people suggested this it was also found that foiling in the workshop had had mixed results so there was uncertainty as to how it would come out if used. In contrast using the lasercutter meant that the design would always be accurate and precise which is needed to create a modern and slick looking outcome.

Are the lines understandable as a way of plotting the locations?

For much of the feedback it was said that perhaps it was not clear enough what the lines were for, with some thinking they were for illustration purposes
Many said that as long as there was some kind of key or explanation then this would be an interesting concept that would be a different take on a map. However when this was discussed with a tutor it was found that the contents described both the lines as the beach and road and plotted the locations on both of these, which indicated what the lines were about. Also the name Dubai : Two Journeys indicates the role of the lines within so it was said that this was explained within the book, however people may have missed it because the colour print out was only in a rough format. It was also said that perhaps the blue beach line didn't really fit with the gold beach line on the cover, however this was done because a yellow line would not have shown up when printed.

Are there any improvements?

In terms of improvements it was suggested multiple times that the stock should be glossy and thicker to best show off the imagery and create the impression of luxury and expense within Dubai. This was initially considered at the beginning of the project , however after research and the link to Arabic scripture in other elements of the book it was decided to make the stock choice reflect this traditional aspect rather than focusing soley on Dubai today.  It was also said that the stock and colour scheme could possibly be the same to create consistency. There was a question about the fact that the book was bound backwards and how this could confuse the 'narrative' of the book , however this reflects how Arabic books are bound. It was also suggested that perhaps a serif typeface could have been used for the body text as a way of hinting at the history and grandeur of the place.

Further Chat with Tutor 

It was suggested that instead of sticking the letters on the front of the book vinyl could be used. If sticking the letters, because of there small size, it was said that it would be very difficult to kern the letters and apply them so that they were straight. Cutting them out of vinyl, although fiddly would be easier to apply to the book. It would also mean that the whole title would be able to be used, which previously was not possible because the second line of text was far to small to even consider sticking down by hand.

Vinyl Experiment

After the suggestion about the use of vinyl I transferred the design for the title into an Illustrator file so that only outlines were visible as the vinyl machine only recognises vectors in the same way as the lasercutter. There was a selection of coloured vinyl in Digital print however it was said by the technician that because of the small size of the text only certain types of the vinyl would possibly work. Both black and gold were chosen to link with the colour scheme of the front cover. Although there was initially some doubt about whether the machine would cut the smallest text it did work and the letters were all intact. Taking all the cut out bits from around the letters was difficult particularly when it came to the counters within some of the smallest letters. Using a knife allowed the excess pieces to be prized away however sometimes the letters also came up meaning they had to be restuck into place. One done adhering the design onto sticky backing paper meant that the design could be applied to a surface as one rather than individual letters, which would make it much easier to stick down.