Environmental aspects
'In graphic design the issue of responsibility assumes particular importance as a form of economic awareness toward the most appropriate solution to a given problem. Too often we see printed works produced in a lavish manner just to satisfy the ego of designers or clients. It is important that an economically appropriate solution is used and is one that takes in proper consideration all the facets of the problem.'
The above quote from Vignelli suggests that often design is developed in a non-environmental matter just to please individuals and thus this should be altered. The design implications/waste of a product should be designers responsibility and thus the designers should be held responsible for their environmental impact.
'Standardizing paper sizes, and consequently publication sizes, is a conscious contribution to the environment, ultimately saving trees, reducing pollution and waste. The choice of a publication size should be made with an awareness of its consequences, understanding that ethics and aesthetics have a common semantic root that should be respected. It is our professional imperative to see that these issues are respected.'
From this quote it is evident that the less paper used, the less trees damaged. It is also stated that subsequently less ink will be used, in turn being more environmentally friendly.
Grid systems
'For the design of a book the grid provides again structure and continuity from cover to cover. In a picture book, according to the content, the grid could have a number of columns and subcolumns to organize the information accordingly. In agreement with the content the size of the book will be the first thing to be determined. A book with square pictures will be square, a book with rectangular pictures will be rectangular or oblong, in accord with the most appropriate way to exhibit the material. The content determines the container - a basic truth also in book design. It is a good practice to relate the grid to the proportion of the majority of pictures, so that there will be the least need for cropping their images. Today photographers are more careful about the composition of their images, so the grid should be devised to take that in proper consideration. By structuring the grid accordingly the book will have a higher level of integrity than otherwise.'
From the above quote surrounding grid layouts within books it is evident that the shape of individual images must be determined by the shape of publication. Therefore as I am using individual images in which are rectangle, the book itself should be rectangular.
Typography
Vignelli goes onto state that he only uses the typefaces: Garamond, Bodoni, Century Expanded, Helvetica, Optima, Futura, Univers, Caslon and Baskerville. Due to their classic nature expressive style and clarity. As a result of this I will attempt to stick to these typefaces within my publication.
'Most of the time we use flush left. This type of alignment derives from metal composition, particularly in Linotype. Formerly it was faster to keep the alignment on the left side rather then having to kern the slug for every line. It also makes more sense since in our culture we read from left to right and it is better for the eye to go to the next line than having to cope with hyphens all the time. However, it is important to control the shape of the rugged side by shifting sometimes the text from line to line to obtain a better profile. This may be time consuming but aesthetically rewarding. We use centered for lapidary text, invitations, or any rhetorical composition where it may be more appropriate, or for the address at the bottom of a letterhead, and for business cards. Justified is used more for text books, but it is not one of our favorites because it is fundamentally contrived.'
From the above quote it is evident that flush left is far easier to read due to the ways in which humans within Britain read although it may be suggested that other ways of formatting text may be used when less is needed.
'One of the most exciting elements of typography for me is the contrast of scale on a printed page. I love the play between a very large type size for headlines versus a much smaller type size for the body text, with proper white space in between. White space for me is a very important element in graphic composition. It is really the white that makes the black sing. White, in typography, is what space is in Architecture. It is the articulation of space that gives Architecture the perfect pitch.'
It is important to note that multiple sizes of typography can be highly effective and allow for hierarchy within a piece.
'Our first rule is to stick to one or two type sizes at the most. If necessary, there are other devices such as bold, light, roman and italic to differentiate different parts of a text, but even there, stick to the minimum. Type weights can be used to great advantage when dedicated to a specific function, rather than be used for color purposes or even worse as a phonetic analogy'
Only two types sizes should be used, with bold etc being used in order to distinguish against texts.
Colour
'Most of the time we use color as a Signifier, or as an Identifier. Generally speaking we do not use color in a pictorial manner. Therefore, we tend to prefer a primary palette of Red, Blue, and Yellow. This may seem restrictive. This doesn’t mean that we do not like colors or that we are not sensitive to them. It merely means that most of the time we like to use color to convey a specific message, therefore, we tend to use it more as symbol or as an identifier.'
Vignelli suggests that colour should be used in order to convey meaning, as otherwise the consumer has little or no relation to the design.
Layouts
'Any kind of publication has different layout requirements. However, it is inevitable that the layouts reflect the interpretation of the designer. Most publications are composed of text, images and captions and the task of the designer is to sift through the images to select those which best portray the essence of the content and possess the quality of becoming an icon. An icon is an image that expresses its content in the most memorable way.'
'Once the outside margins are established (I tend to like narrow margins to increase the tension) the basic grid should be devised according to the nature of the publication: 2, 3 or 4 columns for a book or a brochure, 6 or more, for a newspaper. Once the number of vertical divisions are decided the next step is horizontal divisions which will provide the number of modules per page. Again 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8 or more, according to the variety need of the publication. In defining the grid, one has to keep in mind what kind of visual material will comprise the layout.'
Composition must be explored within the pieces, with relevant iconography being selected. Smaller margins also allow for more tension to be derived within the publication.
'Ultimately the most important device is the management of the white space in the layouts. It is the white space that makes the layout sing. Bad layouts have no space left for breathing - every little space covered by a cacophony of type-sizes, images, and screaming titles.'
In reference to the above quote large amounts of negative space should be considered. This making the design more visually engaging.
What can be learnt from this?
- The smaller the publication size, the less environmental waste
- Rectangular images equal rectangular publications, square with squares etc.
- Garamond, Bodoni, Century Expanded, Helvetica, Optima, Futura, Univers, Caslon and Baskerville are the most effective typefaces.
- Primary colours or the signifier.
- Relevant iconography should be selected- images should go with one another.
- Smaller margins equal more tension
- Negative space makes a design more visually intriguing.
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