Words and Pictures

I am currently immersed in a project that takes me back to my pre-retirement work as a graphic designer.  I am laying out a book, to be published by Blurb, of the second Twelve by Twelve set of challenges that we called the Colorplay series. Our first book was published by Lark Publishing and was a popular, commercial success. It told our story and showed our first challenge quilts and was a big, juicy, wonderful labor of love. This second book, which we are creating mostly for ourselves (though it will be available for purchase) is mostly photos of the little art quilts—mainly a record of our beloved second challenge.  It is, in a smaller, quieter way, another labor of love. We have been talking about it for quite awhile and I agreed to do the layout, but I always seemed to have something more urgent on my radar. But now, finally, I am deep into it, working several hours each day on it. 

Most graphic designers I know hate book and long document design. It isn't flashy, like advertising or hip and current, like web design. It can be tedious. But I love it. My former job was at a national non-profit and consisted mainly of producing informational brochures, books and newsletters. Words and pictures.  It sounds so simple, but the process of designing a book is an exercise in clear and elegant communication. Readability is the byword. Choosing typefaces and line spacing that reflect the spirit of the work and complement each other, creating a balanced and logical composition for each page and maintaining consistency and flow through the pages. Then visually scanning each page for spacing and flow, tweaking the type to eliminate awkward placement and inelegant alignments and odd gaps. Type, on the computer screen, is alive and willing to accept the designer's nudges and manipulations. And the trick, of course, is to make it look like it all just landed, beautifully, on the page, without anyone's help. 

I'm a little rusty, but it's all coming back to me!  If you need me, I'm at the computer...