OUGD603 - Research led brief - Production methods

Once the final designs were finalised it was time to think more about production, and how the book will look and feel. From initial ideas as I was set on producing a book that had a handheld form and being influenced by Juran's Quality Control Handbook made me want to experiment with binds such as spiral, comb and wire. These binds offer flexibility but also add aesthetic to the spine of the book so I wanted to explore these more in production. A number of printers and university services offer the binds as they are commonly used for dissertations. I visited a selection including Leeds Uni print bureau and Saver Copier Centre to look more closely at the options and specifications of each.

From looking into each I decided to pick wire binding as it is the most durable option, but also I felt some of comb bindings option can cheapen the look of a book. Wire binding can also allow pages to be opened a full 360 degrees, which swayed my decision to use it.

For the stock of the book I chose a standard 120gsm Antalis matt coated stock for the main pages. This stock offers the best result with the printers available at uni, and the weight is perfect for allowing the book to flow. Additionally, I wanted the opening pages which include the contents and introduction to differ to the main pages in some way. Therefore, I decided to use a coloured stock which would contrast to the white pages. I opted for Colorplan Bright Red 135gsm with the influence being obviously the red of the Japanese flag. For the covers I wanted to experiment with a number of stocks in production but selected ones which offer tangibility. Textured stocks from G.F Smith including Nomad and Takeo Tassel were chose due to being a suitable pairing for bright red and white but also tactility.