37) Book / Zine Layout Inspiration - 27/11/17

After my tutorial with Nick I've decided to look at some different photobook and zine layouts for my own zine to get inspiration. I specifically wanted to look at material which incorporates threading in different paper types and uses folds with multiple signatures.

The first book I looked at which I was drawn to was 'Moises' by Mariela Sancari because of the two sides of the book which has interlinking signatures throughout. This allows the photographs within to be interacted with in different combinations, which I really like. I can see myself doing this with my own zine because I have so many sub-groups within this idea of happiness which I want to show in their own right but also interacting with each other. I like how you can also play with blank pages and placement more, because you essentially have 3 pages to interlink with each other (as you can see in the lower pictures) and endless combinations of pages to put together. I think if I was to do this with my own zine I would play around with having different numbers of folding segments, even 4 different ones.

The next book I looked at was 'All Quiet on the Home Front' by Colin Pantall. I really liked this book because of the inserts that have been stitched in, which you can see in the below images. I like these because it breaks up the book and experiments with different paper types, something I want to do in my own zine too. I also really like the full bleed images in this book combined with the inserts, and I want to do some like this with my own work (see fourth image). I also really like the thick card cover over this book, a good alternative to a hardback I think (and I don't think my project fits into the aesthetic of a hardback book) but also not too thin for the book to look flimsy. I need to research different card types I'm considering using in another post.

The third zine I looked at for inspiration was 'Sugar Paper Theories' by Jack Latham. Again I looked at this book because of the inserts he includes in the work, also experimenting with different paper types and colours. I really like how the paper type has been thought about in this book, for instance the portraits have a more glossy paper, whereas the textual inserts and some landscape photographs have more of a newspaper finish to them - I think the paper type really compliments the image it's presenting. This is something I want to experiment with when making my zine, having glossy paper for studio shoots and then a thicker, matte paper type for my shoots out and about.

Next up was a zine I found in the artist books in the library, titled 'The Exquisite Fold' by Jonathon Carson and Rosie Miller. I picked up this zine because I love the way the conertina element has been held in with a sleeve, which also explains what the concertina section of the zine is about. Not only is this a layout that I'm considering, but also more unique ways to present it within the zine itself, and I feel this work does that. I think the concertina is a great way to show lots of images in a more compact and playful way. However I do dislike how messy the zine looks when all unfolded, so this is why I like the idea of overlapping signatures in the confines of one zine.

The next zine that caught my eye was '50 Characters' by Amir Brito. This was purely because of the sleeve its held in, and it got me thinking I could make my own sleeve relating to happiness, potentially with a cut out smiley face shape and then the colour of my cover showing through. I think the sleeve really adds a feeling of the finished product, and thinking in practical terms it also protects the work. So this is something to consider for my own work.

I found researching all these different zines and photobooks really helpful and inspiring for my own work, and I think I'm going to make a few different dummy books and see which layout I prefer. Potential designs I'm thinking of is concertina style or 2 - 4 books all folding into each other in one zine. I also want to incorporate glossy and matte paper types, and potentially even a sleeve on my finished zine. My next steps are to get designing and laying out my zine on InDesign.

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