OUGD504 EMOBSSING

I managed to emboss using the real press giving me a way more constant emboss compared to my previous attempt. I tried on three different materials, all of them are possible materials for my cover. It had to be at least a nice and thick stock to be able to complete its form as a cover.

The first paper stock I used was a stock made from entirely recycled cotton and other paper. This stock could reflect the use of natural earthly materials in the process of memorial masonry. The paper initially seemed like it embossed quite well, however due to the materials used to create it it never returned to its natural plat form. This was because the stock was incredibly soft and lightweight. When I returned to the emboss later on I noticed that it was naturally pushing back out, removing the embossed design. This was no good at all and I would not use this for the cover material.

The second stock I experimented with was a thin ultra white paper stock. It was quite a rough paper stock but was only 170gsm. Due to it being so thin, the emboss was quite faint so I rolled it through twice over to re-emboss it a bit deeper. It came out really crispy and clean in comparison to the previous material, however I fell like this paper is better suited for the inside of the book. I will practice printing on this later. Given the fact its quite heavy, despite the thickness, relates to connotations of death. I wanted the book to be quite heavy as well so using this would really weigh it down.

Finally I embossed a really thick, 300gsm stock which came out perfectly. The emboss was really clean and the rough texture of the paper really supported its aesthetic. I feel like this would look great on the cover and give the book some initial character. However, I don't think I want the stock on the inside of the book and the out to match up too closely as having them both bright white might make it look somewhat unfinished. I think I'll experiment with a similar paper stock to this but in a different colour.

OUGD504 G.F. SMITH PAPER AND BINDING

Today I had a talk from the G.F. smith who create their own paper from a wide variety of sources. I have ordered some of their paper for later experimentation when I emboss using the press. When studying their books there was one that particularly caught my attention with how it's concept was reflected in the binding technique. The paper stock was made from nearly 100% recycled coffee cups, making a statement about recycling paper cups and gaining an awareness for it. To reflect this concept in exterior ways, they bound the book by only using the paper stock also instead of glue or thread. This means the book was solely made from recycled coffee cups and nothing else at all. This is done by having the outside cover fold into the center page and also turn into an insert which can be removed from within the book.

I thought that this binding technique would be perfect for my publication. The masons would use such limited materials for instance, rock and the items to chisel. Using less materials to create the publication would reflect the creation of the headstones perfectly as it would require less materials. Instead of using a needle and thread or PVA glue and a brush, it will only be created using the paper within. It even works in my favour with the insert as originally the quote was meant to sit on the last page or travel along each page. I feel like this would have been too jarring and would have distracted from the images you were supposed to be viewing. The insert can slide perfectly within the middle page without too much distraction at all. The audience can choose to read this and then have a greater understanding of the concept. 

OUGD504 EMBOSSING TEST

I attempted to hand emboss my type into a few different paper stocks to see if the thickness of the type was correct before I properly emboss using the industrial roller. I haven't yet received all of my different paper samples yet however so there is still room for experimentation. First I attempted it on a simple cartridge paper to test to durability of the 3mm mount board type. It came out perfect and completely undamaged. Then I tried with the 60gsm recycled paper and it once again came out really smoothly however due to the dampness it made the paper curl slightly. Next time I'd have to squash it with some books or with a vice to carefully straighten the paper back out. Finally I tried with the 250gsm recycled paper however, this came out quite messy with bits of card falling off due the the water. The letters were also varied on size and depth within the emboss.

I will try this again later with an actual embossing machine with all the same paper stock and hopefully the others will have arrived in time as well. Using the machine I will make it much more crisp and clean. I need to take into consideration the paper curling after being dampened. 

OUGD504 LASER CUTTING TYPE FOR EMBOSSING

After deciding which typeface to use I finally began putting it into form. I began typing my title out in my chosen font of Germanica. I played with a few different layout of the type specifically. I was trying to decide wether it should be left aligned, center aligned or perhaps follow a path of some kind. After experimenting with these variations I decided that the type should be center aligned because I wanted to subtly mimic the design and layout of the headstones. Most of the headstones I came across in my research had center aligned type to fit the form and shape of the gravestone itself, so I will also do so with my publication.

I had to carefully review the type to make sure that every detail would carefully be cut on by the laser. This was especially important with this type because there are so many features to be aware of in comparison to say a normal sans serif type. When I inverted the fill to just lines some of the lines became split or jagged due to the type not being designed for this purpose, so I rectified that carefully to achieve the cleanest finish. Another fault this type would come across in the cutting is that some of the strokes are a little bit too close and the laser cutter would chop the whole letter off making it completely useless. For instance the capital 'I' has an ascender that is touching the rest of the letterform when it should really be separate. To fix this I raised the ascender ever so slightly so it doesn't make too much of a visual difference but will still be functional when being produced.

A final problem I had with the type was that the letter 'y' didn't look like it should at all and look more like an 'n'. This was noticed by everyone who read the type and would have a major impact on the final design. By studying the type I noticed that all the letters were just made of a few similar shapes repeated over and over again in different variations. I decided to recreate the letter 'y' for this type to make it more functional for my work. I took what I thought a the letter should look like and took pieces from other letters to create the form of a 'y'. The most important part being the descender which was simply sourced from the letter 'g' in this situation.

Now my type was ready to laser cut I chose my material, which was 3mm mount board, and cut through to receive all of my individual letterforms. Hopefully this was the right weight of board to use as I would be repeating my embossing on several different materials and testing the effect on each one. I used the spare cut out of the board where the letters had been cut out and used that as a stencil to glue my type onto a perfect line so that when I went to emboss, the letters would not be jagged, randomly placed or have a difference in kerning. It would look exactly the same as it did on the digital copy. Obviously I had to set it backwards as well given the fact that embossing and debossing is a relief process, meaning when I do it the type or image would come out in reverse.

OUGD504 FRONT COVER TYPE

I had to decide on a typeface to use for my front cover. I reviewed the images I took for the content and the type used on the gravestones. There was a large variety of type between sans serif, gothic calligraphy and some standard serif type. I traced over one of the more popularly used types for demonstrating the 'in loving memory of' quote. This type was quite a stylistic sans serif type and looks like quite a modern font. After tracing it I then realised that I wanted celebrate the old craftsmanship not the new, so using this type kind of contradicted that. It also didn't look very nice at all and did not reflect the images that would be used within.

I studied some more of the found type and decided I wanted to use a more traditional one. I wanted to use a calligraphy related type that was used for the lettering on the graves. These two images here have the type I'd like to use specifically image 2, the type at the top of the headstone. That type reflects the mood perfectly so I searched for a similar type to use. The reason I didn't want to trace over this was because I wanted to use a really well made type and me loosely tracing it would not have reflected that very well. 

After looking through a large catalogue of typefaces I finally decided that I wanted to use Germanica for the front cover type. I knew that using Old London was way too stereotypical and perhaps a bit literal also. I looked a Cloister Black which was also a similarly designed type however, this one was a bit too restricted I feel. It was nearly branching towards a more modern digitally rendered type. Finally I found Germanica was the perfect one to use as it has originated from original gothic calligraphy with a better stylistic twist compared to Old London. It's a lot softer with less sharp angels and smaller hoops.

OUGD504 MATERIALS

I began sourcing materials such as paper stock and what I'd used to weigh the book down with. I wanted the paper to be all natural with no other synthetic influences or chemicals infused within. This was because I wanted the book to fully reflect the craftsmanship of stonemasonry and the all natural materials they used. The first piece I sourced was this paper made from fully recycled stock, cotton and wool meaning that it was good for the environment and most importantly all natural. I also got the same stock again but double the gsm so a potential cover material is here as well. Even the colour of this resembles the whole gravestones theme given the fact its a dusty grey. This could perhaps be too literal however and effect the printing but i'll have to find out first.

I've ordered some of this special paper called stone-paper which is exactly as it sounds. This paper is made from 80% stone and 20% other recycled materials. This would be perfect for a cover as it doesn't look to different to say normal card or paper at all. The paper doesn't tear and is waterproof. Embossing this would resemble a chiselled headstone perfectly given the fact its made of stone and has type indented into it. This is really expensive however and may effect mass production say if it was to be copied over and over.

I sourced a few different pieces of scrap metal to test the weight and thickness of them just to see if they would be capable of fitting within my book cover. The first piece of copper was way to light and probably wouldn't make much of a difference. The second was a piece of aluminium which was the right thickness and a little bit heavier then the copper however, it would be a lot more expensive then the other options. Finally, I have a piece of steel which is the heaviest but also thicker then the others put together. Im not sure if it would work or not and might be too noticeable inside the cover. I'll have to try it first though and find out. This is also reasonably priced.

OUGD504 PRODUCTION CRIT

In my crit I shared my current ideas for production. I showed my binding options, materials I could use and also different metals that I could use. I was then given some decent feedback from my group and perhaps a few other techniques I might try.

• Make box - outside sleeve - box or coffin shape
• hard back - emboss
• etch
• good binding method
• emboss into the metal?
• leave marks when covering with chosen material for cover?
• good relation to topic - well considered
• look into metal workshop
• good research which aids production

I think the most important advice I go here was to try a hard back cover alternative. This would reflect the gravestones heaviness and weight really well. It would also be easier to place the metal inside the book. I will try embossing some harder material along with other materials to experiment with the cover design. An issue that came up was that when I place the metal sheet behind the cover it would raise my de-boss. I'd have to craft the metal sheet around that type somehow. Other then this everyone supported most of my ideas and said to continue with it.

I was stuck between two titles for the book which was important as I had to put something on the front in my chosen type. The first title idea was taken from the quote I found previously by Lawrence Weaver. It ended with 'a new terror to death' which is basically stating exactly what Im showing within the concept. The other title I thought of was 'in loving memory of' which can be found on a cast majority of gravestones. When I was sourcing my photos for the content I saw this quote on a lot of graves, almost all of them and found it quite fitting as the book is about a dead art. The book is 'in loving memory of' memorial masonry. My group decided that that was the better title and should be used. 

OUGD504 PAGENTATION AND BINDING

I tried figuring out my pagenation for the publication in relation to the dimensions of my page and also the grid within. This would be a good to do as it will aid me in visualising what my final product will look like. The more mockups I make I reckon the better it will be. I applied my dimensions to my document with was 142mm x 200mm and then placed my grid on each page. Every other page would contain an image within the grid while the other pages remain blank. This means it wont be double sided printed, resembling the front of gravestone and how only one side is worked upon.

I printed my mock up on a thick cartridge paper hopefully having a slight resemblance to the final piece. The black boxes are where my content will eventually go. I made a few mistakes when processing it through the printer at first. I'd have some pages upside down or the order completely wrong. After getting it wrong a couple of times I finally managed to get it how I wanted it to look. I then trimmed it down in size to my preferred dimensions. I did not use crop marks to do this however. Next time I will do so to get a more of an accurate finish on my physical dimensions.

I began several different forms of binding to help me decide which one was the right one for my publication. I knew that I wasn't going to use the perfect binding technique because it required un natural materials to perform the job. I wanted the book to mainly be created with natural materials because this reflects the memorial masons hand craft and the materials they would use. I began with a simple pamphlet stitch with three holes which was probably the easiest one I can do. This was very efficient and clean. The only problem with this was that three holes wasn't enough to support the amount of pages I was using and the book felt flimsy.

To create a tighter bond between the pages I added more holes in my next stitch. This worked perfectly and the book held itself together with great strength. It kept the same aesthetic as the previous bind as well. Very clean, efficient and doesn't distract from the contents inside at all. There was no fault in this process whatsoever and most important of all I only used natural materials to do so.

Another technique I thought I try was the Japanese binding one. I thought if I cut the book in half and split the dimensions once more I could create a a new form for the book. Instead of having the plain space below each image the hole book would just be the area with the photograph. This shape of book matches the Japanese binding perfectly. One thing about this bind is that it seems like part of the books aesthetic and I guess it could tie in with the theme of craftsmanship and presenting all of my hand made natural work. 

Finally I attempted the loop bind. This was the really tricky and probably meant for a greater mass of pages then I was intending on using. It seems like the smaller amount of pages the looser it is. I wasn't exactly skilled at this either and it left quite a jarring look to the spine. If I was perhaps making a book with more then 30 pages I might consider using this for a tighter bind but I may have to pass this time.