Photobook Design

1. Intro: Hi. My name is Blair Barclay. I'm a graphic designer, and photographer, originally from Christchurch New Zealand, now living in Copenhagen, Denmark. In this class, I'm going to be teaching you how to design a photo book. Today, we have almost infinite options for viewing and sharing photos. We can view them on our phones, computers, on a Facebook, Instagram, and many other online platforms. With so many options for storing and viewing photos, it is easy to become overwhelmed and lost in the nevading scroll of digital content. A photo book gives us a tangible object for the photos to be stored in. In a book, photos are bound together. They can talk to each other and form a narrative, telling us more than they would be able to alone. In this class, we will cover sequencing, image editing, creating drafts, page layout and composition, printing, and inspiration. This class is for anyone with an interest in photography or design who wants to bring their photos to the next level. For the class project, there will be a number of exercises to help get the creative juices flowing. I will then walk you through my process for creating a photobook. By the end of the class, you will have the skills and knowledge to create your very own photo book. So join me in this class and help bring out the full potential of your photographs. 2. Sequencing: A book is a medium for recording information, either with text or images. It is often said that a photo is worth 1,000 words. If we think of photos in this way or as visual information, we can start to see how they can interact with each other in a book. By placing photos in a certain order, we can use them to create a narrative the same way words do when placed in a sentence. Here's an example of how a series of photos can work together. This first photo seen by itself is nothing more than a pair of sunglasses sitting on a table. But if we add a photo to the left and to the right, it now takes on an entirely different meaning. These three photographs now become the letters A, B, and C. Moving through the rest of the series, we are primed to see the next letter in the alphabet. By themselves, these photos will just be a collection of random items. But when seen together in this sequence, we interpret them in a certain way. Oh. Now I'm going to show a book called This equals that by photographer Jason Full Ford. The book starts with the intro. This book is a circle made up of squares. Turn through the pages, consider the pairs. On the first spread, we are presented with two photos. A wooden set square and a giant shark's head. When we turn the page, we find the shark's head repeated on the left page and a photo of a bunting against the sky on the right. As we continue to the boo, we find this pattern continues with the previous photo repeated on the left page. We discover there is a visual game going on. With each pair of photos, we are being asked to find a relationship between the two. The relationship changes between shapes, colors, and concepts. This pattern is repeated until the end of the book when we come full circle and arrive back at the S square. This is a great book to start us thinking about how photos can work together. It has a lighthearted approach that is great for generating ideas. Here I have sequenced a series of photos in a similar way. This is a great way to start experimenting with sequencing and pairing photos. If you like, you can try creating a series of photos that work in a similar way. The next book we're going to look at is called Dog Days Bogata by Alex South. This book was made while Alec was in the process of adopting his daughter from Bogota, Colombia. Alec explains that his daughter's birth mother gave her a book filled with letters, pictures, and poems. I hope the hardness of this world will not hurt your sensitivity, she wrote. When I think about you, I hope that your life is filled with beautiful things. Dog Days Bogata is Alex's response to this. He decided to photograph the city of his daughter's birth, looking to describe some of the beauty in this hard place. Looking through the book, it consists of photos on facing pages. These two photos respond to each other and create the world Alex is describing for his daughter. Throughout the book, images and motives are repeated. There are straight dogs, young women, interiors, and city escapes. There is a natural progression from the previous book we looked at. There are still two images that look together, but now they are complimenting each other and helping to expand our understanding of the place. Your next exercise is to create pairs of images that create a dialogue between them. Unlike the peers in the, these should give more context to each other and help to expand the world that they exist in. Here are some examples I have come up with using my own images. 3. Editing: Now that we have an idea of how images can work together, we're going to move on to editing and selecting the images. When editing photos, we must first have an idea of the story that we want to tell. I'm going to go through my process for creating a photo book, working with a series of photos I took while traveling around Europe. My intention with these photos was not to photograph the typical tourist destinations, but to capture the feeling of travel. These photos focus on being in between places and the excitement and uncertainty that comes along with that. Here I have the photos I took while traveling. I want to have around 30 to 40 photos in the book, and here I have 168. So the first step is tot down the number of photos. First, I have removed the photos that are too similar to others. Then I have removed the photos that do not directly fit with the theme. The next step is to organize the photos into different types. If we look back to Alex Sooths book, we can see how he has different types of photos. There are photos of dogs, portraits, interiors, landscapes, and details. These photos are spread out evenly in the book. We have photos of dogs, portraits, interiors, landscapes, and details. Spreading out the different types of photos helps to give the book a better rhythm and allows the photos to interact with each other in a more harmonious way. With my series, we can break them down too. Photos of people, details city and landscapes and photos taken while moving. After we have a selection of photos, the next step is to sequence them. For me, the best way to do this is to first pick at opening and closing image. I have chosen this photo of a map of Europe into the wall as the opening photo. It introduces the theme of travel. I also like the way the light is shining over the map. To end the book, I have chosen this photo taken from the rear window of a car. This photo ties back again into the theme of travel. It is looking backwards, signifying the end of a journey, and being at night, it contrasts nicely with the light in the opening image. We can then start finding combinations of photos that work well together. It is important to establish a good flow between photos. This means not having too many similar photos grouped together. Looking at the Americans by Robert Frank, we can see how he has spread photos with the American flag throughout the book. These photos help to create a rhythm to the book and to remind us of its theme. My book, photos taken while moving could work the same way as photos of the American flag do in Frank's book. Next, I'm going to put sequences of photos together. These sequences help to create rhythm and movement in the book. Here are some examples. These first three photos help to further strengthen the theme of travel. First, there is the photo from a train. The next photo has a similar composition, but is taken looking down the river, and then our perspective shifts, and we're looking at a car with its slice reflected against the water. In this sequence, there is a common element of light that runs through the photos. There is light shining on this man, light casting a shadow, and in the third photo, it is shining through this tunnel in Paris. Sometimes, having two photos with a similar element is enough, as with this example. Other times, it can be more complex as with these three photos. All have movement in them with the woman with the umbrella, the glass being handed in the bar, and finally, the man walking in front of the camera. Here is my first edit. In the next video, we will move on to creating our first draft. 4. Draft: Once we have created a rough sequence, it's time to create our first draft. For the first draft, we're going to print each photo on a single page like so. We can then bind them together with a ball clip. This is a quick and easy way to put the images into a book form. We can now turn through the pages and see how the photos feel together. It also makes it easy to take the photos out and to change the order. Now that we have a basic sequence, we can start considering the size of the book, page layer and composition. The size of the book affects the way we interact with the photos. Not only because it dictates how large we can print the photos, but also because of how we relate to the book as an object. A smaller book might remind us of a novel or a diary and might be suited to a more intimate subject. While a larger book might be better suited to a more formal subject. There are two books that use size to their advantage, anywhere California by Rudy Vanderlans. This book features photos taken throughout California where different historical events have taken place. The photos have a snapshot aesthetic and are printed in a similar size to postcards or photos in a photo album. This size makes the photos feel more familiar and intimate. This book by Danish photographer, Shota Osawang, features portraits of the residents of Christiana, the Hippy commune located in Copenhagen. The photos are taken with a large form of camera that produces a photo with a lot of detail. These photos really benefit from being printed at a large size. The next step is to find a design that is going to compliment the photos and the feel of the book. I've found three books that have a similar field to what I want to create. Joseph dalka's exiles, Robert Frank's Black White and Ts, and Shinjuku, by Dido Moyama. Here we have Joseph Codecs Exiles. This book also deals with a nomadic existence. The photos are presented one to a spread and given plenty of white space around them. This design gives the book a simple flow as every photo is presented in the same way. Here's how my photos look when applied to this design. The next design is from Robert Franks, black, white, and Ts. This book follows a less rigid template with photos printed right to the edge, cropped at different sizes and placed on different parts of the page. There are photos on facing pages. Pages left blank, and even sequences of images printed on a single page. This design has a unique rhythm to the book, that suits Frank's photos nicely. Here's how by photos look when applied to this design. The last design we are going to look at is Shinjuku by Dido Moyamo. This is a unique design. All the photos are printed right to the edge. This is known as full bleed. The landscape photos are printed across the sp, and the portrait photos are printed on facing pages. With this design, the entire book is covered with a photo. When I apply my photos to this design, I noticed that I have to alter my sequence. This is because I need to have portray photos and pairs so that they are on facing pages. As I'm doing this, I noticed that there are some interesting relationships between the photos happening. With these two photos, there are strong horizontal lines that lead into the centerfold. And these two pairs have a nice rhythm to them with similar compositions. For my final book, I've decided that I'm going to use this design as it helps to capture the rhythm and movement of the photos. H h 5. Book Wright: There are many options when it comes to creating the final book from handmade to mass produced, and it all depends on what you prefer. For this class, I'm going to be showing you how to print a copy of your book with the online platform Blub. I'm going to show you two options for printing your book. First with Blub software bookrd, and then using a DBN Design. Here we are on Blub website. First, we're going to go to Design tools. Then click on BookRd. Then scroll down. And download. And then just follow the instructions and install the software. Here we are in Book write. To start the project, I'm going to click on Create. Along here, we have the different options for books. And below we have the different sizes. F my project, I'm going to choose standard portrait. Here we have the options for paper and cover types. For paper, I'm going to choose Mohawk pro Photo Perl for the cover. There is a preview and description over to the left. I'm going to choose hardcover and a drab. Here we can enter the project title in file location. Here we have the basic book write interface. Along the left side, we have the cover and pages. Along the top, we can add pages, delete pages, add page numbers. Change the page color. We can turn the guides on and off. And zoom in and zoom out. Here, we have the layouts. And here, we can upload our photos. Now, let's start with the cover. For the cover, I want a full bled photo, so I'm going to use a place photo tool and draw a frame. Then I'm going to add a photo by choosing the photo up here and dragging and dropping it. I can then use the text tool to create a title. By clicking on the text box, I can change the font type, color, and size. Oh. I'm going to leave the first page blank, and then I'm going to add the title and my name on page three. The first photo is of the map on the wall. It is a landscape photo, so it is going to be printed over two pages. Then I go to the photos and drag the photo onto the layout. Because the spread is slightly narrower than the photo, I can move the photo up and down like this to get the right composition. On the next two pages, I have two portrait photos. I'm going to go back to the layouts, and under one photo, I'm going to choose one of these for each page. Then go back to the photos and drag and drop each photo over each page. And again, we can move the photos up and down together right composition. Now I'm going to go and add the rest of the photos. Now that I've added all the photos, we can go over to manage photos. Here we can view all the spreads. And if we like, we can move the spreads around by clicking on this orange tab and dragging. To get a preview of the final book, click on preview in the top right corner. Once you are happy with how your book looks, click on load in the top right hand corner. This will send your book to Blurb to be printed. 6. Indesign: For the second option, are going to be using Blubs book creator for Adoban Design. This can be downloaded from Blub's website. Just go to Design Tools. Adobe en Design. Click here. And then click download. Once installed, the Blue Book book creator can be found right here at the bottom of the file menu. Selecting it will bring up the plug in window, which will help you keep track of all your new projects. This button here is how you start a new book, and if you have any questions, there is a help link right here. So let's go through starting a book. Click Start Book, enter a title for your book and an author's name. Oh, and then we'll choose a book size. We are being told that this trade book needs to have a page number that is a multiple of 12. I'm going to enter 72. We can then select from the paper options that are available and a cover type. We can then click Create page template. Here, another pop up is telling us that the last page of the book must be blank and suggests that we add another four pages. I'm going to click. We can always change this if we don't need them. Now we save the file and in design generates the pages. The book creator then pops up again, asking us to create the cover template. I'm going to click on Done and come back to this once we have finished designing the pages. This is because the size of the cover is affected by the number of pages we have. The plugin will then create a template for your design. The template contains a lot of information. I suggest you read all the text. The two lines I'm going to focus on are the black line and the red line. The black line is the page size, and the red line is the pleat line. This is where we need to print the photo to. This is to make sure that the photo goes completely off the page. This dotted blue line is the center of the book. To add a photo, I'm going to go to file and then place. You can also use the shortcut command D. Then you need to find the photo in your computer. And then click and drag it to place it on the page. To make this photo fit, I need to click and drag on the small square here and line it up with the right bled line. Then to send to the photo, I can click and drag on the circle. And it's the same process with portrait photos. We can play the same photos, you can sleep as many as you want at the same time by holding shift. Oh Here I've added all the photos. Again, we can press W to enter preview mode. Or we can view the design and presentation mode by pressing Shift. Presentation mode allows us to view the design in screen. You can use the up and down arrow to move through the spas. It's good to note that all print books begin with a single right hand page. Page one, followed by two and three, which is the spread, and it continues that way throughout the book until your last page, which is the left hand page. I'm going to add a title page on page one. To add text, select the type tool from the left hand panel. You can also use the shortcut T. Then click and drag a text box out. First, I'm going to enter the title. Then I'm going to enter twice, then enter my name. To change the font, I select the text, go to the font panel, and select the font I want. I'm also going to make the title a little bigger than my name. I'm then going to send to the text box on the page. And move it up just a little. Are. Once you've finished adding your photos, go back to the blue book creator. Update the number of pages and click Create cover template. The plugin will then create a template for your cover. It's a one page document with the front cover on the right, the spine in the middle, and the back cover on the left. For this cover, I've chosen hard cover image. We can add the photo the same as before. I'm now going to add the text on the cover and the spine. To rotate the text for the spine, just bring the arrow tool to one of the corners until it changes to the rotate icon. Then click and drag. If you hold shift while doing this, the textbox will snap in place every 45 degrees. I've now finished designing the cover and pages of my book, and I'm ready to upload. Simply go back to the Blue Book Creator and click load. Once the upload plugin has processed your files, it will open them as a PDF for you to review one last time prior to upload. If everything looks good, click s to load. Your book will then be uploaded to Blub website where you can place your order. A 7. Conclusion: And as they say, here's something I prepared earlier. This book has a slightly different selection of photos to what we were working with before. It's good to remember that there are many elements that go into making a good photo book from a sequencing, page layout, composition, size, and finally, how it's printed. A O Congratulations on completing this class. You now have the skills and knowledge to design your very own photo book. I will encourage you to share your progress in the class, where I will give advice and feedback. Thank you again for joining me and for bringing out the full potential of your photographs.