A Project Brief
When you start any design, even if it is part of an already existing larger project, you will want to orient yourself to the specific design task by creating a Project Brief for it.
Here is a template you can use to create a Project Brief for your final Presentation Book:
A Content Outline
A designer, often in conjunction with an editor, creates a Content Outline.
Here is an example of the Content Outline for a design project of mine for the revamp design of the 2012 Utah Travel Guide.
You will
want to create a Content Outline for your final Project Presentation Book.
Here is a template you can use:
Here is a template you can use:
A Flat Plan
The next step in a book or publication design process is to create a Flat Plan.
Here is an example of the Flat Plan for the revamp of the 2012 Utah Travel Guide.
Here is an example of the Flat Plan for the revamp of the 2012 Utah Travel Guide.
I converted the Content Outline for the Utah Travel Guide into to a Flat Plan showing where the contents might appear in the book. The flat plan shows the organization and layout of the entire book/publication page by page as thumbnails and/or notes.
Here is an a Flat Plan template for you to use for your final Project Presentation Book.
Here is an a Project Board template you may also want to use to develop a design concept/theme for your final Project Presentation Book. (Yes, book designs have concepts too).
A Publication Grid
All publication or book designs use strict grid systems. It helps organize content and keep a consistent layout and look through the book.
This
is the Grid I used for my design revamp of the 2012 Utah Travel
Guide. It includes margins, gutters, as well as eight columns per page
that allow a great deal of layout variation including the following page
column relationships: 1 col; 1col x 7 col ; 2 x 6 ; 3 x 5 ; and/or 4 x 4.
Publication Rhythm
One
of the biggest challenges of multiple-page publication or book design
is turning pedantic content into an interesting and visually exciting
rhythmic layout. It helps me if I look at the book I am designing like a
visual piece of music. I try to create a visual rhythm composed of
various visual parts – perhaps a light riff of a visual introduction,
pedantic repeats to set up a beat, followed by a break in the beat, the
pedantic repeat again, then followed by a contrasting visual turn-around
of two or three single pages, followed by the pedantic repeat, then
back to the break, ending with a light summary riff. Here I compare the
layout of a book to the 12-bar blues. You can listen to this design on guitarcompass.com/free-lessons/blues/12-bar-blues/. Just click on the video.
