Okay, now that THAT'S out of my system, I can refocus on the project at hand.
This weekend, after having selected our final nine artifacts, we had to design potential covers and spread layouts for the book.
(we are making a book out of the collected artifacts, with the only text being on the cover. the idea is to have each artifact act as a tautology, in a sense. the characteristics of the artifact should be implicit in the photos.)
I did some sketches, researched a few common quilt patterns, and even searched "Amish" on Amazon.com to see typical book covers for this subculture. Basically, Amish design is pretty... boring. (Surprise?)
My ideas were less than impressive. I focused on geometric assemblage, emulating the strong culture of quilt and barn crafting.
This was not a good idea.
During the process of visulizing spreads, I look at this site for some guidance. I like the spreads, but they were less than helpful.
The only semi-positive response I received from critique on my spreads were the corner decorations I used because they seemed "country-esque". I was too focused on the geometry and pattern making, rather than showcasing the images interestingly and appropriately.
I did better on my covers, satisfying necessary exploration. I will use a photographic base image and the title "Simple Living". Both elements received positive feedback. I need to work on connecting the cover to the interior of the book, preparing the viewer for what's to come.
For Wednesday, we must have a full mockup (can be in b/w) of our book. In addition to the general class's homework, I also have to produce additional spread explorations, focusing on corner decorations and full bleed vs. cut-out imagery. I don't feel behind, necessarily, in this project, but I feel behind in my ability to conceptualize interesting spreads. Sometimes I feel like I just physically don't see what everyone else does. I understand what's sub-par after the fact, but getting to good output seems to take me longer. Half of the time, I don't even make it to what I would deem "good output".
I will "keep on truckin'" and see if I can make something happen. I have better ideas now, after experiencing my peers' work, and I have a clear vision of how I want the book to feel. Now.. I just have to let my hands follow through what my mind keeps idealizing.
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