UNDERSTANDING PHOTO BOOK DESIGN: LAYOUT, SEQUENCING, NARRATIVE, CONCEPT
DEADLINE: Fri 5 February
Blog: Produce a number of posts that show evidence of the following:
1. Research a photo-book that you have used as inspiration in your personal study and describe how it communicates a narrative, concept, subject-matter using a combination of images, text, archival material. Some of you may already have done this in your research.
Consider: Who is the photographer? Investigate background, conception and context of why he/she made the photo book and the photographs within it.
E.g Robert Frank’s “The Americans” was conceived with the help of a scholarship that allowed Frank to go on road trips across America during a two year period. He wanted to portray American society in the post-war period and his book has influenced (and still influence) many photographers since and also contributed to a new style and subjective approach to documentary photography. Why?
2. Deconstruct the layout of the book e.g. think about format (portraiture/ landscape/ square), size (A5, A4, A3), sequencing (single page, double-spread, multiple images on a page), juxtaposition of photographs on opposing pages etc. How is the narration of the images used, i.e. formal or conceptual relationship between images. Any use of archival or found material? How does it add value to the story being told? Describe also, how the book title, text (foreword, essay, statement by artists) and captions (if any) are use.
3. Research photo books for design ideas, look also at BLURB online book making website. Produce a moodboard of design ideas based on your research above and look at other photo book examples from photographers, incl what is shown on Blurb or see previous books produced by Hautlieu students. Describe in detail how you want to design your photo book in terms of look and feel considering the above layout options.
DEADLINE: Fri 5 February
