Design for print// Top 10 Manual..

The Brief

Produce a ‘Top Ten’ manual of things to know, consider or remember in order to produce successful Design for Print. You should use the seminars and tasks from the module as a starting point for your own individual/independent investigation of the methods, processes and formats that can be used to create innovative but practical solutions to print based design briefs and all aspects of print- based delivery.

You are required to document your research and visual material on your Design Context blog. For submission for assessment you will also be required to select, summarise and evaluate appropriate source material as a multi-page pdf. document that shows your understanding of print processes, conventions and creative options from the perspective of a graphic designer. It should also demonstrates your ability to effectively organise and present a body information in a designed format. This document should be uploaded to your Design context blog via 'Issuu'. See additional briefings for further information.

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Click here to see Issuu file :)

Design for print// Colour..

Colour is a very important aspect of design and it is important to understand the different colour systems and what they are used for. The two main colour systems are CMYK and RGB, each used for completely different things.

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CMYK//

CMYK stands for Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Key. These make up the four colour process which is used for print design. These four colours are able to make any colour within its gamut, suitable for print.

'The CMYK color model (process color, four color) is a subtractive color model, used in color printing, and is also used to describe the printing process itself. CMYK refers to the four inks used in some color printing: cyan, magenta, yellow, and key (black). Though it varies by print house, press operator, press manufacturer and press run, ink is typically applied in the order of the abbreviation.

The "K" in CMYK stands for key since in four-color printing cyan, magenta, and yellow printing plates are carefully keyed or aligned with the key of the black key plate. Some sources suggest that the "K" in CMYK comes from the last letter in "black" and was chosen because B already means blue.However, this explanation, though plausible and useful as a mnemonic, is incorrect.

The CMYK model works by partially or entirely masking colors on a lighter, usually white, background. The ink reduces the light that would otherwise be reflected. Such a model is called subtractive because inks "subtract" brightness from white.'

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CMYK

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RGB//

RGB is the colour system used for screen only. RGB stands for Red, Green and Blue. RGB is used for screen based design only, it can produce more colours from the visual spectrum than CMYK, this is why it is so important to understand the difference between the two.

'The RGB color model is an additive color model in which red, green, and blue light is added together in various ways to reproduce a broad array of colors. The name of the model comes from the initials of the three additive primary colors, red, green, and blue.

The main purpose of the RGB color model is for the sensing, representation, and display of images in electronic systems, such as televisions and computers, though it has also been used in conventional photography. Before the electronic age, the RGB color model already had a solid theory behind it, based in human perception of colors.'

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RGB_color_model

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The colour gamut//

This colour gamut shows the colour range of CMYK and RGB. There are some CMYK colours that can be printed but cannot be produced in the RGB model, and there are RGB colours that cannot be produced in CMYK for print. As you can see from the colour gamut there are many colours that are out of the CMYK and RGB colour models. These colours cannot be reprodued for screen or print, we only have the pleasure of seeing these colours as they are.

This image represents how important it is to understand the two colour models. This shows how an RGB colour converts to a CMYK colour when printed. As you can see the RGB colours are a lot brighter and vibrant compared to the CMYK colours. If you were to try and print a design when it had been set as RGB on screen, you would recieve the equivalent through the printer in CMYK which would be very dull and nothing like on screen.

Design for print// Paper sizes and weight..

Paper sizes//

The most recognised paper sizes used are A, B and C sizes, they are what we use in the UK and everywhere else in the world except the USA. Below are images of paper size charts and how the sizes work. A size is the size that is most commonly used and heard of. B sizes are slightly larger than A and C is mainly used for the measurements of envelopes.

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Paper weight//

The weight of paper is called the 'GSM', this stands for grams square meter. The weight of a paper is based on how much it weighs in grams per 1 square meter. The higher the GSM, the thicker the paper.

'GSM stands for ‘Grams per Square Metre’, It’s a measurement of paper quality which allows for printers to be far more precise than they could be with wooly terms like ‘thick’, ‘thin’ and ‘kinda in the middle’. As the name suggests, it tells you how much a square metre of the paper or card you’re using would weigh (in grams, believe it or not). Although everyone tends to think in terms of thickness, with premium print being on thicker paper, it’s a good means of standardising the business and making sure that customers know what they’re getting.

We know that it’s not easy to visualise a square metre of paper (although it’s pretty fun: give it a go). So here’s a basic layman’s translation of some of the most common paperweights.

350GSM – This is what you might expect a reasonable quality business card to be printed on (or a Pulse Print flyer!).

180 to 250 GSM – Like a mid-market magazine cover.

130 to 170 GSM – A good quality promotional poster. Something that you’d expect to last a couple of months in most conditions.

90GSM – Mid-Market magazine inner pages

35 to 55 GSM – Most newspapers

Less than 35 GSM – If someone’s trying to sell you this as anything other than rice paper, you want to be reporting them for attempted theft.'

http://www.pulseprint.co.uk/article/one_minute_wonders_gsm/

Design for print// Pantone..

What is Pantone?//

Pantone is a globally recognised colour reference system. Pantone swatches are a series of colours that each have their own unique colour code. This means that designers and printers around the world will all understand the Pantone system and can send their work almost anywhere in the world to be printed.

'The Pantone Color Matching System is largely a standardized color reproduction system. By standardizing the colors, different manufacturers in different locations can all refer to the Pantone system to make sure colors match without direct contact with one another.' // Wikipedia

These are some examples of the Pantone Swatch books, each book can cost around £300- £400 and a small set of books can cost around £1200. There are several types of books as there are different types of colour swatches. Metallic, coated, uncoated etc, again these all have a different unique code and come together in seperate books.

Design for print// Packaging and Promotion research..

http://www.behance.net/gallery/Dubrovnik-Sun-Gardens/727220

As part of my research for the Good is brief, I wanted to design some form of packaging that would contain an item that my target audience could take away with them in the designed packaging. The packaging needs to be relevant to polka dots. I think that it would be interesting to see if I could make a polka dot shaped bag as it would fit in perfectly with my chosen genre.

This piece of design is very sleek and sophisticaed they have used diecutting and foil blocking for the front cover which has coloured design underneath. This could be interesting with a polka dot pattern used in a similar way to this, by having the polka dot pattern diecut and foil blocked.

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These designs are labelling for clothing. I think I was drawn to these designs because of the use of circular shapes and the black and white colour palette. The design is very simple and sophisticated. I also like how they have have used the 'q' in replacement for 'ck'. Clever.

These designs use a black and white theme and they also use circles within their packaging. I was inspired by thier use of simple packaging design that makes it very sleek. Their product is coloured which works really well against the black and white designs.

With these designs I liked how the bigger the bag got the less of the brand name that was visible, they played on scale and how they could interpret it.

This packaging is a good example of how I am wanting my packaging designs to look like. They are very simple and the logo is also similar to one I have designed for my brand. I want my packaging to be a circular shape though so that it fits with my theme more. Its interesting to see how they have scaled down the logo depending on what format it takes.

These are really clever designs, its almost like whilst the bag is closed and holding the contents it is happy, but when it is opened it becomes angry because it has lost its contents. It makes it more interactive for the audience.

I really liked the simplicity of this design, it is purely the one let on a white bag. I do think that with designs like this and in what I am wanting to design, is that less is more.

These designs are very sophisticated as they use foil blocking on the logo. Also the bottom packaging is circular and looks really cool. It looks very high end in terms of where you would recieve this bag, it reminds me of something like Harvey Nichols.

Design for print// Branding and Identity research..

I really loved this designers business cards, they are very sophisticated and sleek. I think I was drawn to them because of the use of a polka dotted pattern.

http://www.behance.net/gallery/Personal-ID-Design/494365

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http://www.behance.net/gallery/Soleil-Noir/250960

Design for print// Look Book research..

As part of the design for print brief, I have started to think about designing a look book about polka dots in contemporary fashion. I have started to research into existing look book designs and zines to gain inspiration and an understanding of how they work. I am wanting to create a look book that is simple and communicates a clear message about polka dots.

http://www.behance.net/gallery/vh1-hip-hop-honors-book-2nd-annual/125583

These were look book designs to promote Hip Hop icons. I particularly liked this one because of the layout of type and imagery. They have used the two in harmony to create interesting compositions. I am going to be using InDesign to create my look book, so it is important to look at as many different types of layouts and designs as possible. With this book aswell, they have kept a visual consistency with colour and a particular style of type. The colours and type used reflect on the subject matter which help to visually communicate the message of the book. By carefully selecting the colour and typefaces, it makes it clearer to understand.

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http://www.behance.net/gallery/Look-Book-Autumn-Winter-0910-Salsajeans/425037

I looked at this design because of the way it was packaged and how there was a visual consistency between the book and the packaging it came in. The packaging became part of the book and vise verser. The packaging held the book inside a 'book' style packaging (as seen in the picture). This would be a good way to use the packaging as it would give you the chance to add other elements that would tie the book and packaging together.

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http://www.behance.net/gallery/Plastic-Ocean/2171831

These caught my eye because the front covers are very simple (and they have circles on them). I want my look book to have a very simplistic layout and design to it, as the polka dot patterns themselves will make the pages seem busy. Also if the design is kept simple it will reflect on the polka dot pattern and its simplistic elements.

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http://www.behance.net/gallery/Debut-Look-Book/904498

This is a really lovely piece of design. The front cover has been diecut and the page underneath is reveresed out. This is an element I can use within my own look book. I also like the contents page which has a very simple layout. There will be text within my look book, but it will mostly contain imagery and illustration/ vector images. When I do use text I want it to be creatively laid out.

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http://www.behance.net/gallery/research-for-Four-Minutes-to-Midnight/125569

This caught my eye because of the layout of the image, type and vector shapes. They work really well together, and although the layout design is slightly more complex, the colours keep it simple and visually consistent. I also like the use of semi and full circles and how the type overlays these. Again this is something I could do within my own designs.

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http://www.behance.net/gallery/MWM-Diagonal-Thinking-Book/812331

This is a look book that has used imagery only, I wanted to see what it looked like and if it would work well. Obviously it all depends on the content, but this layout seems to work very well. I will be using photographs of polka dot clothing in contemporary fashion, so this will allow me to gain inspiration from pure imagery books and how they communicate a message without words.

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http://www.behance.net/gallery/Visual-Booty-No-1/506076

I also found this really cool zine on the Behance website. The 'obvious' pages have illustrations on them, but each one then has perferations which open up to more pages with text and explanations of the illustrations. It is a really creative way of adding depth and interaction to a piece of design. It allows the audience to discover new parts of the book on their own accord, which gives them a sense of control. I also like how they have printed on red stock and just using black for the text and illustrations.

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http://www.behance.net/gallery/OWT-creative-Issue-1-Beginnings/739087

This design caught my eye because of its simplistic design and use of geometric shapes. They have used lines to define the shape on the front cover without actually using the shape, it is then used on the back cover too. It would be interesting to use elements of stripes within my look book, as spots vs stripes have also been a big concept within fashion.

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http://www.behance.net/gallery/Existential-Angst/848039

This look book is of higher quality than most of the above examples. It uses a hard back cover and embossing. The front cover has a very lovely feel to it, they have only used the embossment to define the title, which leaves it very subtle. I really like the use of space within the pages as they have filled each one carefully. The first dps is just a pattern but it works really well without text. The second dps uses text but it blends in with the imagery, and the planet shapes blend in with the background to make the whole dps feel as one.

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http://www.behance.net/gallery/Miss-Print/840972

This is another example of creative use of layout and page format. This uses folds and pop ups to add depth and interest to its design. It makes good use of space and format, it allows the designer to use larger formats that fold down to a consistent size. This would be a good way to incorporate poster designs into the smaller look book format (which could also use perferation elements from one of the previous design examples).

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http://www.behance.net/gallery/Whats-The-World/203153

This design uses the wrap around as a seperate folded out poster, which again allows the designer to add another format without them being two seperate things. This design also uses embossing on the front cover, which has been kept the same colour as the stock. I like how the design works as one piece together or two seperate designs.

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