Extended Practice: OUGD603. Extended Practice. BAGD YearBook Brief: Research.

Wednesday, 20 May 2015

OUGD603. Extended Practice. BAGD YearBook Brief: Research.

having had our first group meeting we decided that we should each gather a breadth of research pertaining to our interests, likes, ideas, and potential inclusions in terms of the production of the yearbook.

i needed to think about

- layout and format
- stock
- binding method
- finishing
- colour
- print
- aesthetic quality

i began by looking online to see what sort of things existed in line with the brief -

i found this past example of an LCA BAGD yearbook -

i really like the cover design and feel it offers a strong and bold aesthetic and concept. it maintains simplicity and minimalism which works in line with the course and the wayfinding and sub-categorical separation applied to the student work (third image) is really clever. by using colours associated with practices the user can see clearly what practices the student works within while not being overly exposed to technical jargon or overly developed information. i think the actual layouts of the student work are a bit busy and do not work thjat well in line with the design style of the rest of the book.

http://www.niallhargrave.com/work/leeds-college-of-art-yearbook

i found another LCA BAGD yearbook from 2010 which i thought was quite strong -

the layout, based on a modernist grid and encompassing consideration for horizontal vs vertical layout, worked well in line with the course, class, and work showcased. i like the colour scheme (red lack and white) and think it works boldly to catch ones attention and attract one further. i dont, however, like the seeminly random black then white page layout for the student work section and feel that they should have confined the black to just quote spreads. overall though it was a well structured and executed publication

https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/view/13996115/ba-hons-graphic-design-yearbook-2010pdf-leeds-college-of-art#

i found this yearbook design concept on behance from i think russia. i think the design is pretty bad and very basic. the use of the cmyk colour scheme is very overused and something that graphic design really should seek to evolve beyond. very little professional design will use this as the basis for a concept because it is so easy and obvious. the quality of design too is very basic and looks too much like a class yearbook.

https://www.behance.net/gallery/2103176/Graphic-Design-Yearbook

https://www.behance.net/gallery/8049729/Orla-Yearbook-AulaD-2013

not a yearbook but still an interesting and very professionally produced publication -

https://www.behance.net/gallery/7429163/Fifty-Five-Things

i found this yearbok project on behance from a student at the MIT design school which i thought was intersting -

This yearbook is an alternative form of the traditional publication. It is a self-initiated and self-published project by me at the MIT Institute of Design, Pune and has taken up by other graduating batches as a sort of tradition.

I wanted to actively involve the graduating batch in a fun project and take away memories of the five years spent living together on campus in the form of a book. This book documents life and instances that aren't just related to academics but real experiences. I was working on most aspects of the book (design, photography, publishing, content), but it wouldn't have been possible to make and publish this without the help of my whole class.