Publication — Informed Design Choices — OUGD601

Visual Execution Informed by Essay: The book will be executed using a new Modernist style that the likes of Experimental Jetset use, which has many features that could be interpreted as the same as the original Modernist movement, however, it is less restrictive on how various elements can be executed — By essentially including some elements that may be considered as Postmodernist.

This change of time is a vital step within the production of the book so obvious elements like the strong use of a grid and a Swiss sans serif typeface is a must. But having these factors alone would be enough, it is how the book is laid out that has more freedom than what the Modernists of the 20th century may have had.

Stock: The decision to use yellow paper on the cover has been made early, as this will add much more of an appealing effect if there were to be a grayscale image of a brutalist building on the front. Looking through the G.F Smith sampler, the closest match to the Corbusier was Citrine or Factory Yellow from the Colourplan collection, this would be in a 270GSM weight to add substance to the cover;

 

It was tempting to add an emboss that would resemble concrete, however upon a bit more thought it completely goes against the term 'form follows function', and as the emboss wouldn't actually add anything to the books function it was left out.

internal pages would be consistent, semi-bleached white stock around the 180GSM mark to give the book some bulkiness and impact, but also a sense of quality.

Type: As mentioned  the typographic elements need to resemble that of a Modernist tendency, thus Swisse Int'l seemed fitting. Also, this typeface is based off an old Grotesk, one of the first types of Sans Serif typefaces around. This helps solidify the synthesis between old Modernism and new Modernism;

And for the display face, Le Corbusier by LineTo, the obvious reason being it was inspired by the man himself;

The above screenshot also features the name of the book, this is inspired by Le Corbusier's term, 'Béton Brut' and also by incorporating the aptly spelt 'Typographie' for consistency.

Binding: This is something personally considered as one of the most important aspects of the book. Final choice being that the stitch should be exposed as this would resemble rawness in the form of a publication, reflecting that of the rawness of concrete.

This led to the Coptic stitch, being able to draw from past experience and create something more solid with less imperfections was also a nice bonus;

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