OUGD603 - Typeface design - Specimen production

For the production of the specimen I intended to use newsprint for the stock, so I looked into using Newspaper Club who offer tabloid and broadsheet printing. Originally, I used the Newspaper Club indesign template for a tabloid spread which measures at 289mm x 380mm. Using 55gsm newsprint and working with 16 pages to save money on production. However, during production I experimented with a selection of stocks available at uni which have similarities to newsprint. Out of what I experimented with, three particular stocks stood out for aesthetic and quality. The first being a brown paper which is roughly 55gsm, the second a 90gsm antique white stock and the third being a 90gsm sugar paper. All gave the specimen a different look and feel and both swayed my mind away from using newsprint. The 90gsm sugar paper option gives the specimen more tangibility and will allow a method of binding. While the brown paper and the antique white paper creates a real authentic and traditional aesthetic.

Brown paper 55gsm

Antique white 90gsm

90gsm sugar paper

From multiple experiments I decided to change the direction of the specimen, and use the 90gsm sugar paper stock. This is due to it creating a newspaper like effect but offering more durability and flexibility. Once I decided on the stock I considered binding or even whether to bind the specimen. I preferred the idea of a using staples on the exposed spine.

The original form of binding was simply stapling the left hand side of the page with three staples. However, when the pages turned the pages creased unevenly leaving the left hand side of the pages disfigured. I needed a way of allowing the pages to fold evenly and for the spread to open fully. I examined stab stitch staple binds, and they normally use a higher gsm for the front and back cover to create an evenly crease upon opening pages. Or the pages have a crease along the margin but the pages were too big to fit in the page folder at uni. Plus doing it by hand was nigh on impossible with the stock being a low gsm.

After continued experimentation into ways in which to bind the specimen, I made a bind similar to tape binding. Using a piece of 270 gsm stock I cut a 380mm x 30mm piece of paper which allows the pages to fit inside it. Then I applied three staples which enclosed the pages within the 'tape bind'

For the printing of the specimen I was more than satisfied with the print quality of using the studio printers. As the specimen is on cheap stock and all one colour, the print quality isnt that obvious so I stuck with using the studio printer rather than using the digital print room.

Additionally, in production I decided to add new pages to the specimen as I wasn't constricted to Newspaper clubs costs of adding more pages. The original quote for Newspaper club was 5 copies at 16 pages for £34, so I was hesitant of adding more pages to keep the price down. Nevertheless, as I ditched Newspaper club I could add more pages without worrying about cost.

The new pages look more into the history of Grainger Town with the great reform act passed by Earl Grey, which led to a statue being built of him in the centre of Grainger Town. Along with the orginal penny bazaar and the theatre royal.