Editorial design | In my blood

Project Brief

The concept developed for this project was creating a hardcover printed book based on a person whose story is worthy of telling. Students had to conduct in-depth research about their subject in order to develop an editorial concept and narrative strategy, as well as write original text for the book. Convincing prototypes in the form of presentation boards with 3-D mock-ups, had to be produced for the book. Only selected parts of the book was to be executed and showcased. All the text and imaging components of the book had to be original and self-generated by the students.

Deliverables

01 - Original text. 1 full chapter and 3 first pages of additional chapters.

02 - Editorial spreads

• Dust jacket/outer cover

• Inner cover

• Endpapers

• Title page

• Imprint/copyright page

• Contents page

• Spreads of one completed chapter

• Spreads of three additional chapters

03 - A3 presentation boards of spreads

Design Strategy

This book was based off of my gran’s life and completing her dream of seeing the world as well as opening her own travel agency. This story is one of even having gone through hard times you should always push on and persevere to complete your goals. It is also has a strong theme of family and doing everything you can to look after them.

This book follows the metaphor of the life cycle of a dandelion. It starts off a single seed which lands and grows into a yellow flower. Much like my gran who was born in Mauritius and moved her roots across to South Africa. The dandelion starts to close, as my gran did when her husband died while my mom and uncle were still young. However much like a dandelion, she transformed and opened up her own travel agency, completing her dream of allowing others to embark on their own journeys, all while caring for her children. She was now the dandelion and the travellers are the seeds that get taken with the wind.

The title explains however you need to get there, the fact that a goal is literally a part of you, you will get there.

The visual style of this novel includes both linocut and embossing. Linocut is the process of taking linoleum and cutting with special tools to create an image. You then put ink on the plate and put it through a press, leaving whatever you cut out, white on the page. I would then scan and take the prints into Photoshop and created the style you see on screen.

Embossings are done in various ways but the way in which I did it was to cut the plates and put it through the press with no ink and damp paper. This allowed the paper to press into the grooves of the prints and give it the look it has. I photographed the embossings under certain lighting and again touched it up in Photoshop.