Publishing Design
23/04/2025 - 23/07/2025 (Week 1-14)
Ayshan Mohamed (0346212)
Bachelor in Design (Honours) in Creative Media
Publishing Design
Instructions
Lectures
Formats (1)
The Book
This semester focuses entirely on books—the oldest and most influential format in publishing history. Books have played a key role in preserving and sharing ideas, knowledge, history, and culture across time. Designing a book requires strong skills in typography, spatial design, attention to detail, and proficiency in publishing software.
Historical Book Formats by Civilization
Publishing formats evolved with technological progress in various ancient civilizations. Here’s how:
Mesopotamia (Iran-Iraq):
Writing developed from counting systems. Clay tokens evolved into pictographic writing on tablets. (Denise Schmandt-Besserat, 1995)Indus Valley (India-Pakistan-Afghanistan):
Though not much is known about their record-keeping, they had a complex writing system (cuneiform) used for documenting government, religion, and trade. They also used palm leaves, the earliest surviving example dating to 800–900 CE from Nepal.Ancient Egypt:
Scribes used hieroglyphs written on papyrus, a paper-like material made from the papyrus plant. They also wrote on tomb walls.Ancient China:
Early texts were written vertically on bamboo strips tied together. The character for “book” originates from this form.Paper was invented between 179–41 BCE.
The Diamond Sutra (868 CE) is the world’s oldest printed book, using scroll-format woodblock printing.
By the 10th–11th century, mass printing of Confucian, Buddhist, and Daoist texts began.
Movable type originated in China and was later developed in Korea.
Europe:
Parchment (made from animal skin) was invented in Turkey (197–159 BCE) and adopted by Europe around 50 AD.
Leather couldn't be made into scrolls, so it led to the book format.
Paper slowly spread west from China via Persia and the Ottoman Empire.
It became widely available in Europe between 1400–1500 CE.
By the 1860s, wood pulp became the main material for paper, starting with the Boston Weekly Journal.
Key Ideas
Technological innovation has always influenced publishing formats.
Each material—clay, bamboo, papyrus, parchment, paper—shaped how books were made and used.
The history of the book is a global story of adaptation, invention, and communication.
History of Print (2)
Early Printing in East Asia (2nd–8th Century CE)
In AD 175, the Chinese emperor orders Confucian texts to be carved in stone. Scholars create paper rubbings of the carvings using charcoal, producing white text on a black background.
By 750 CE, Korea prints the earliest known document—a Buddhist sutra on a single sheet.
In 768 CE, Japan mass-produces the Hyakumanto Darani (One Million Pagodas & Prayers), one of the earliest large-scale uses of woodblock printing.
The First Printed Book: Diamond Sutra (868 CE)
Found in Dunhuang, China, the Diamond Sutra is the oldest known printed book.
It's a 16-foot scroll featuring the first printed illustration, showing Buddha with attendants.
Created using woodblock printing on paper, which was invented earlier in China (179–41 BCE).
Chinese Publishing (10th–11th Century)
China prints vast collections of Confucian, Buddhist, and Daoist texts (up to 5,000 scrolls each).
Printing relied on carving reversed characters into woodblocks—labour-intensive but effective.
Movable type is first experimented with in China in the 11th century but proves impractical due to:
The vast number of Chinese characters.
Fragile clay materials used for type.
Korean Innovation: Movable Type (Late 1300s)
Korea establishes a bronze movable type foundry around 1380 CE, making the process durable and reusable.
Despite using the complex Chinese script, Korea achieves this innovation decades before Gutenberg.
In 1443, Korea also develops Hangul, a simplified alphabet.
Printing in Europe (c. 1400–1457)
Around 1400, woodblock printing reaches Europe, used mainly for religious images and playing cards.
In 1439, Johannes Gutenberg is first documented working on movable type printing in Strasbourg.
Gutenberg’s key innovations include:
Developing metal type using goldsmithing techniques.
Creating moulds for casting reusable letters in a durable metal alloy.
Perfecting the printing press system.
His masterpiece, the Gutenberg Bible (mid-1450s), was printed on six presses simultaneously.
The Mainz Psalter (1457) is the first dated book from his press and features advanced two-colour printing.
Printing After Gutenberg
The Industrial Revolution brought engineering precision that improved printing speed, quality, and accessibility.
Over time, printing evolved into a critical driver of mass communication, education, and social change.
The World’s Largest Book
Located at the Kuthodaw Pagoda in Mandalay, Myanmar, the world’s largest book consists of:
729 stone tablets, each housed in its own mini stupa.
The texts are Buddhist teachings engraved in stone, forming a massive open-air library.
Conclusion
Paper, invented in China (179–41 BCE), enabled mass production.
East Asian Buddhist cultures pioneered early printing with woodblocks and movable type centuries before Europe.
Korea’s bronze type set the stage for efficient printing systems.
Gutenberg’s press in 15th-century Germany transformed printing into a revolutionary Western industry.
Typo Redux (3)
1. Importance of Typography
Typography is essential to graphic design—like oxygen to life. It is both a form of visual communication and artistic expression. In book design, your prior knowledge of typography will be crucial.
2. Typeface Elements
A typeface includes various characters and symbols:
Small Caps
Numerals
Fractions
Ligatures
Punctuation
Mathematical Signs
Symbols
Non-aligning Figures
3. Legibility Principles
Good typography starts with choosing typefaces that are clear and proportionate. Classic examples include:
Serif: Garamond, Caslon, Bodoni, Baskerville
Sans Serif: Helvetica, Gill Sans, Myriad Pro, Frutiger
Legibility should always be prioritized, especially in body text. Departures from the norm should only be intentional and based on solid understanding.
4. Formatting & Style Considerations
Underlines should not touch the text—this affects readability.
Small Caps are useful for subheadings; avoid using All Caps in long texts.
Text Scaling (stretching fonts) ruins type design—never do this.
Avoid excessive use of outline and shadow effects—they reduce legibility.
Italics should be used sparingly and only for emphasis.
All-Caps slow down reading and reduce visual cues; lowercase improves flow and recognition.
5. Type Size, Line Length, and Line Spacing
Ideal line length: 50–65 characters per line.
Type size determines appropriate line length and spacing.
Leading (line spacing) depends on:
Font style (ascenders/descenders)
Line length
Type size
Poor spacing disrupts reading rhythm and tires the reader.
6. Character & Word Spacing
Kerning adjusts spacing between individual letters.
Tracking adjusts spacing across a whole word or line.
Word spacing affects text "colour" (visual tone/density). Consistency is key.
Avoid "widows" (lonely lines at the top of a page) and "orphans" (at the bottom).
7. Alignment
Text alignment styles include:
Flush left, ragged right – Most readable for body text.
Flush right, ragged left – Less readable; good for small sections.
Centered – Best for short, formal text.
Justified – Neat if well-spaced; be careful of gaps ("rivers").
8. Paragraph Formatting
Use paragraph spacing (before or after a paragraph) instead of hitting return twice.
First-line indents should only be used when paragraph spacing is absent.
Standard indent: same as font size (e.g., 12pt font = 12pt indent).
9. Hyphens & Dashes
Hyphens: word breaks (mother-in-law, 800-555-1234)
En-dashes (–): ranges (Oct. 10–15)
Em-dashes (—): emphasis or interruptions in sentences
10. Special Formatting
Use shift+return to insert line breaks without disrupting formatting.
Drop caps are decorative, often used at chapter starts; use software tools when available.
Sidebars support the main text with extra or related content. Keep leading consistent with the body text.
Use Character Styles to format text attributes (font, size, tracking).
Use Paragraph Styles to control layout (alignment, spacing, indents).
The Grid (4)
1. Historical Context
Modern grid systems owe much to pioneering designers like El Lissitzky, Jan Tschichold, Paul Renner, Moholy-Nagy, and Josef Müller-Brockmann. Their theories, experiments, and shared knowledge helped shape how we use grids today.
2. What Is a Grid?
A grid is a system that divides a 2D surface or 3D space into smaller, organized sections. These divisions (or modules) can be uniform or varied in size, offering structure for placing text, images, and visual elements.
3. Purpose of the Grid
Grids are essential tools for:
Typographers
Graphic Designers
Photographers
Exhibition Designers
They:
Create clarity, order, and structure
Improve visual flow and readability
Help organize complex content (e.g., titles, captions, diagrams, images)
Allow audiences to understand and retain information more effectively
4. Modular, Not Restrictive
A grid is modular, not a constraint:
It offers flexibility and creative freedom within structure
Multiple layouts can emerge from the same grid
But: Consistency is key within a book—limit variation to maintain coherence and ease of navigation
Grid choice depends on content type: from plain body text to combinations of visuals, diagrams, subtext, etc.
5. Readability & Legibility
As designers, our primary responsibility is to the user’s experience:
Good grid design works invisibly in the background
It enables the content—not the layout—to speak clearly and beautifully
A thoughtful grid enhances engagement, comprehension, and retention
6. Conclusion
The grid is like the invisible framework of a building—you don’t see it, but it holds everything together.
We build on the insights of design pioneers, and in turn, should also document and share our design thinking.
Clear, logical design isn’t just aesthetic—it’s functional, memorable, and user-focused.
Elements (5)
1. Core Elements of Publication Design
Every publication is built using three main visual elements:
Type (text)
Colour
Image
These are held together by the format and grid system—the invisible structure that organizes content on the page.
2. Variation vs. Consistency
While designing within a grid:
Avoid predictability—do not let every page feel the same.
Maintain consistency in key areas like:
Typeface
Hang line
Colour palette
Image style
At the same time:
Introduce variation in layout, arrangement, and combinations of the elements to keep the reader visually engaged.
Re-use and rotate layout formulas to maintain unity while still creating fresh compositions.
3. Modular Grid Use
A modular grid allows for flexible arrangement:
Elements (text, image, colour) should be placed logically and compositionally attractively.
A strong layout creates rhythm and surprises while maintaining order and readability.
4. Challenges in Practice
Many students struggle at first with layout design:
Balancing all the elements can feel overwhelming.
Decision-making becomes a real-time, high-pressure task.
The “form and movement” exercises help ease this process by:
Encouraging intuitive layout problem-solving
Training your eye and mind to make fast, effective visual decisions
Gradually building your confidence with structure and visual variation
At first, the benefits of these exercises may not be clear—but with time, you’ll begin to see connections, find it easier to make decisions, and design more fluidly.
5. Final Takeaways
Surprise your reader, but maintain consistency.
A good layout feels effortless and guides the reader naturally through the content.
The more you practice and apply the grid system and visual elements, the more instinctively you’ll solve layout challenges.
A well-designed book takes the reader on a visual journey—without them even realizing it.
Task 1: Exercises
 |
| Testing sizes bigger than A5, smaller than A4 |
 |
| Closed Book Mockup |
 |
| Signature Folding System (Open) |
 |
| Signature Folding System (Binded) |
 |
| Signature Folding System (Binding) |
Task 2: Content Generation
Visuals:
 |
| Fig xx: Moodboard |
 |
| Fig xx: Visual Thumbnails (version 1) |
 |
| Fig xx: Visual thumbnails (version 2) |
Task 3A: Book Printed
Thumbnail Layouts
Thumbnail Layouts, PDF
Final Book
Final Spreads
Task 3B: E-Book
Poster
Feedback
Week 5
General Feedback: Start movements exercise and figure out book layout
Specific Feedback: -
Week 4
General Feedback: Make sure to work on the 3000 words
Specific Feedback: -
Week 3
General Feedback: Start 3000 words and finish the exercises
Specific Feedback: -
Week 2
General Feedback: [I was not enrolled in the class yet]
Specific Feedback: -
Week 1
General Feedback: [I was not enrolled in the class yet]
Specific Feedback: -
Comments
Post a Comment