Notes from the guest lecture.
Forrest is a specialist in publications for photographers
Recent publications include Radical Love for Toni Greaves and Remote Scottish Postboxes for Martin Parr
As a photographer, before we go to a meeting with a publisher we should have considered the following:-
The edit of the photos
Have an idea of page layout – how do we want it to look?
Any design concepts and ideas we may have
Key things that need to be discussed with a publisher / graphic designer are:-
How images are presented on the page and in which order
Which images to include
How presented
Order of presentation
Page layout
Typology
Packaging
There are 5 principles of designing a publication:-
Decide who the audience is
Choose a format your audience enjoys and will engage with
Use the edit to tell the story
Design the publication to enhance the message
Document and promote your work
The design is crucial – it has a big function:-
Communication
What is read
Order
Tone of reading
Message
It allows people to enter the narrative at different points if they want to
Telling the story through the edit
Print out all the images
Decide what you want to tell as opposed to what you have and the story it will tell
Print work out and work with what you have
Take images to fill the narrative gaps that you have
Arrange images in order of pages.
Pairings based on:-
Colour
Composition
Content
Some images in book may not be the best images you have but they add to the narrative of the work and help explain it to the viewer
Check the flow of the layout of the book
Best way to judge it is to do a test print
The key is to make sure you find the photographer’s voice and broadcast it.
4:3 ratio allows for full bleed on a page or a border around the edge
Consider image on left when accompanied by test
The message and vibrancy of the image is affected by where they are on the page
Don’t be afraid of space
Don’t be afraid of simple layouts
Strong cover design
Colour scheme taken from narrative and concept
Consider typography – modern or traditional?
What font is usually used in the forum / genre or area you are working in?
Thumbnails are useful for galleries etc – place at back, show order of prints
Relationships – designer working with photographer can give more control to the photographer
Try to work 1:1 with a designer – they will then get more understanding about the project
Interactive vs physical print – interactive is more linear
Look at article ‘The never-ending photo story’
Simpler layouts mean you can be quirkier in the content
Good design is invisible
Athelas font
Photographers producing more work in print now – so there are more individuals asking for inventive formats – previously this was all gallery lead
Blurb enables self-publishing
Just make sure you choose a format that you can shift and distribute easily
Don’t get overwhelmed by numbers – know what 500 books look like.
Be realistic about sales – ties up money and space.
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