Book final layout.

After alot of playing around with the design and the order in which the superstitions and oldwivestales fall in the book i have finally settled on a final layout for my book. 

 When looking at different styles of photography books (see previous blog posts) I was deliberating the kind of front/back to have on my book as i didnt think i could use a single image to portray all the superstitions, and when looking at other photography books, with the likes of Lewis Baltz or Colin Grey and there very plain fronted books i thought it was best for this kind of collectional style book.  The text used on the title is very traditional and almost looks embossed, this is as reference to this idea of a 'little book of superstitions' or an old style book stating do's and dont's.  The back doesnt have a blurb but instead just includes my logo which i personally also created.

 With the blurb website the first few pages are set into a layout for you with all the basics of normal books, while these could be removed i wanted to keep them  and include them as i feel it would keep my book in the regon of the actually profitable and sellable range. the basic title page on the inside cover uses the same font as the exterier.

 Next included space for the copywrite and space for an introduction. Here i added my details into the copy writing section as well as the addition once again of my logo. It also uncludes the blog address (here) to the information about how this was project was formed and created. The introduction is the same as what i have been working on and posted in a previous post. While this is ideal, it would of also have been nice to look into maybe getting an external voice in to write a narration to the book like many other photography book does, sort of like a mini essay, But due to time constraints this is really not much of an option, was well as not knowing who to turn to.

 The first superstition i wanted to include was the 'step on a crack, break your mothers back' images, purely because they were the original inspiration and the first headway i had in this project. Also the fact that they are the only black and white images i thought placing them at the start rather then just in the middle or randomly will make them appear less stand outish. The grid works perfectly around the square crop of the book with the addition of the text reflecting the repeptition.

I thought following the grid and the text accompanyment to add to the feel of size and volume which is reason why i added the grid and large repetitious text, i would have a double spread of just two 3x3 grids. when actually  i was unsure if they would completely work together, looking at them placed they seem both linked but also different. i was wondering if the two different floorings would really matter but they dont seem to be two clashing togeter. The dark contrasts in the images just adds to the feel of these images, and almost give a sence of time passing by.

 To conclude that superstition it worked best with this idea of repeating the style of the first grid and text, mirrored on the pages.  This draws the superstition nicely to aclose as it felt to abrupt to finish on the double page spread, as well as the text idea that was very popular from feedback, only appeared once. This way it almost works as brackets to the central images.

 The location of the next superstition was governed by the location of the 13th page. ironically placed just after the first allotment of superstition. Here the mirroring of the shapes of the book works well, and both numbers seem to fall remarkably central to the pages. The full 'bleed' images as it is called, was mearly what looked better with these images added to the page. i did try using boardered images but it looked better in this style.

 Incomparison to the associated photos the text is very simplistic compaired to the highly filled pages before. As seen in the books of Colin Grey the use of simple text on its own, just with white space is very effective. It also works well with this idea of it just being a page number, in a book.

 The final presenation of one of the later additions to the superstition project was the idea of the christmas lights and it only being up for 12days. The image i think is very striking with the colours vibrant and the background almost white, filling into the white space of the right hand page. I did crop the image as seen in the previous blog post as i wanted to get in closer to the bulbs and remove some of the more over the top tree branches as it was just abit to much, here the ratio of branch to bulb is perfect. With the string of lights almost going diagonally across the page, the tree branches seem to stretch diagonally across the other way. The addition of the text is very straight forward, and works almost like a count down clock for the image. you can imagen it counting down to one.

 Again here we see the final layout design for another late arrival to the superstition list. I also ended up cropping the main image (of the weather vein) to focus in more on the image. The second image (the right) works well as a basis for the text using the 'blank' space on the image. It creates a different look. I love the use of silhoutte and how the images work together. I also like the small colour palette and how it almost creates a 'black/white' feel to these images.

 While i wanted to use the dyptics and text to show the he loves me, he loves me not, i did decide in a previous post to use abit of an introduction (after all not everyone reads french!) and i chose to include this image as it was one of my fave images from the photoshoot but it didnt  really work as  a dytptic.

 I think this dyptic is actually one of my faves. With the tiltshift style effect and the differences and similaritys so apparent it just is the appitomy of what i wanted to achieve with these images and the text works so well.

 I like the fact that this image almost seems to appear to be extending from one page to another and reaching across from summer to winter, from happyness to sadness, from love to not loved.

 I think this dyptic works well as they are very similar and reflective of each other. the colours the structure the dept of feild.

 This image of the two pathways is very similar to the first of this superstition, and like the first is also a portrait, going portrait landscape, landscape portrait, it follows a nice pattern and again like the very first superstition seems to go full circle and ties off this supsertition nicely.

 These images seem to work better in a grid bigger then they do smaller. This superstition is another grid although this time the grid is bigger (photo size wise) being just a 2x2. Im really glad to have chosen a square book as it works so well in spacing for grids, as well as working equally for landscape and portrait photos. The text works rather well by association to the imagery. And again the images while in colour have this almost black and white feel to them.

 Abit like the intro to the 'he loves me he loves me not' images, with this superstition i wanted the text seperated from the images to allow the full impact for the dyptic. I also thought it would work well accompanied by one of the images that again i really like, but failed as part of my final selection.

 The two images for breaking a mirror are two of my faves and they work so well together. Either way (red or blue) first they would work but i placed the red first as otherwise i would feel that they would look like they are trying to be a whole face, the eyes and then moving down to the lips, and i didnt want to suggest that they are one alike.

 The addition of the blue becomes more apparent with the addition of the slight coldy blue tint to the left image. which i feel works well as connecting the images.

 These images look well presented mirrored with the same white spaced boarder, however it did take a few experiments to find where the text fitted best.  after all of the textperimentation i found that it worked best just to one side.

 Here again is the final presentation, i cropped closer into the dog and chose the final lighthouse picture. The thing i like about this is the rocks from the lighthouse image continues a line made on the floor in the dog image. I also like the contrast that while the dog is ment to bring bad luck, he is looking rather cute and rather happy. The text works well placed above the image on just plane sky.

 The final image is the 'doors close' image which i think works very well as an ending. While this is not my fave image of the selection frm that shoot, the other image that i loved didnt look right cropped into the square and its really wat i wanted for the last page, another full bled image. the date stamp contrasts the darkness of the image and the text to the left reflects the black of the image. It works well but i do wonder how much of the low light detailing would be printed?

 Finally as i did mention before i wanted to include a key as such to my book. The list comprises of all the supsertitions and old wives tales in the order they appear. Influence Highly by the idea of James C Christiansen's work on supserttions with the key to note all the supsertitions hes use.