Question #3 - Style

With each of my spreads being treated differently in terms of typography, composition, etc., will that make my spreads disconnected from each other?

I mean, each spread has a story to tell... an experience to share. These stories have happened (for example, I was in a canoeing and happened to canoe right under a low tree filled with spiders) or these stories were made up based on the content (like the ant eating spread - obviously I couldn't hear it crunch on the leaves but that's what it was doing when I was taking the photo - see the image below)

So uh, my question again is: with each of my spreads designed differently, will that make my spreads disconnected from each other? Will it still look "together"?

I hope that makes sense..

Question #2 - Binding

I like the idea of having a perfect bound book. It looks clean and it looks professional. I'll also be able to do the labour myself at the print shop I work at, which will save me some time.

But am I closing my options? Should I consider other binding options that were demoed in class?

I do like the idea of a hardcover book... but I think that the time frame between now and Grad Show is too short if I did it by hand or at a professional binder. :(

Question #1 - Map

As mentioned in my presentation, I really want to integrate a topographical map of Algonquin Park. I was lucky enough to find someone kind enough that openly shares a complete (and up-to-date) .AI map of the park on his website.

The only problem I am facing with this map, is how to integrate it into my book. Here are 3 ways I was thinking of integrating my map:

1) White on White Cover
I will have the topographic map printed on white vinyl and I will assemble the vinyl sticker upon my cover. I like this idea because from afar, the cover will look nothing more than a white sheet but upon closer inspection, the map of Algonquin Park is in full detail.

2) Moving Map
I loved Marion Mayr's Dissected Matter book. She was able to make movement in her book by shifting and adding lines in succession. Please see this link: Marion Mayr - Dissected Matters. I like this idea because of the movement and fluidity... however, I don't know if it will work well with my spreads. I don't want to bombard my spreads...!

3) Map Cut Out
I bought the stencil knife that Reg suggested. It is pretty cool and I really want to use it! I fell in love with idea:



.. the only problem with this is the amount of accuracy and time-consuming cutting. Given the amount of time left, it will be hard to not make a mistake. The last thing I want is to cut all the pages and find out that I screwed up a page .. just before I bind.

Whee!

After spending quite a bit of time on my book, I feel like I'm finally getting somewhere! All photos were taken by me but in some cases, the credit will be one of my sisters who accompany me on these trips. Below is some important information regarding my book and some spreads that I've been working on. I've included a variation of each spread to show my concept, development and overall thinking.

About My Book:
Souvenirs of Algonquin Park is a visual essay of my various experiences camping at this beautiful provincial park. My book will have a hybrid of images, text and illustrations working together to produce this visual essay. My book will NOT be in chronological order of events as mentioned in the previous post. After speaking with Winnie (which was super helpful!) we both agreed that chronological is too expected... which is why my book will be a mish mash of ALL my trips with no care for date, rather, it will be based on emotions and the experiences that accompany the photo, text or illustration. Each spread will be different from each other. There will not be a background story for each spread - each spread is designed to be an open-thinking process for the reader about my experiences... OR is a story in itself for the spread.

Again, here are the final specs of my book:
Finished Size: 8.5 x 8.5"
Binding: Perfect Bind
Cover Paper: Domtar Plainfield Digital Opaque 80# Cover - Britewhite
Inside Paper: Domtar Cougar® DigitalChoice 70# Text
4 Colour CMYK with bleeds

Spread A: Handdrawn type FTW! (it's still rough and needs to be cleaned up)
Version 1:


Version 2: I played with size to make one wonder how can a small ant make so much noise?



Spread B:


Spread C: I love the idea of hiding text within the images... as these images are SO beautiful and speak for themselves.
Version 1:


Version 2:

Quick Update

Here's a quick update on my progress!

Book size: 8.5x8.5"
Binding: Softcover

I've compiled all my images and most of my text.

I've also compiled about 25 images that I can use for reference for my illustrations. I've decided that my illustrations will be hand-drawn, scanned in and will be overlaying my images. Below are some examples of the illustrative style I would like to approach:







I'm still undecided as to how I want to integrate the map into my book... I originally wanted the map to reflect the parks I've visited in Algonquin but I've come to realize that I "just" keep track of all the parks I've visited. This book will be showing multiple trips and multiple years... so it would be hard to integrate that... BUT scratch that. I think I can section them off by year and integrate the map in each section :)

I know time is running out but I think I can pull this off.

Type Exploration

For my book, I am planning to use a sans serif typeface. I haven't decided yet but I am torn between: Univers and ITC Franklin Gothic. Below is my type exploration for my cover/title. The title of my book is called Souvenirs of Algonquin Park.