Publishing Design - Task 2: Content Generation

Taylor's University

Shubashini a/p Subramaniam / 0367697 / Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media

Publishing Design (GCD61404)

Task 2

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Table of Content :

1. Module Information Booklet

2. Lectures

3. Task

4. Task Compilations

5. Feedback

6. Reflection

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Module Information Booklet :  

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Lectures

Week 4 :

Grid System (Raster System) – Summary Notes

• According to Brockmann (2010), the grid is a tool that supports systematic and critical thinking in design.

• A grid divides:

  • A 2D plane into smaller fields.

  • A 3D space into smaller compartments.

• These fields or compartments can be equal or different in size.

Purpose of the Grid

• Used by:

  • Typographers

  • Graphic Designers

  • Photographers

  • Exhibition Designers

  • Other visual communicators

• Helps solve visual problems in two-dimensional and three-dimensional spaces.

• Organizes:

  • Text

  • Photographs

  • Diagrams

  • Illustrations

  • Captions

Benefits of Using a Grid

• Creates:

  • Order and structure

  • Clarity and readability

  • Logical arrangement of information

  • Consistency in design

• Makes information:

  • Easier and faster to read

  • Easier to understand

  • Easier to remember

Modular Nature of the Grid

• A grid is modular, meaning it is flexible and adaptable.

• It should not be seen as:

  • A restriction

  • A constraint

  • A "jail" for design

• Designers can create many different layout combinations using the same grid.

Maintaining Consistency

• While grids allow flexibility, variations should be controlled.

• In projects such as books, a consistent grid system helps maintain:

  • Visual continuity

  • Coherence

  • Easy navigation for readers

A grid is a flexible organizational system that helps designers create clear, structured, and visually consistent layouts while still allowing creative variation.

Week 5 : 

 

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Task 2

In this project you will be asked to create and design a book of 32 pages that is smaller than A4 but bigger than A5. Your task will be to: 

1. (1 week) Write 3000 words (English/Malay) on any subject that you are familiar with, for example: yourself, your family, someone who inspires you, your hometown, or an experience or an idea/belief that you feel strongly about, etc. The text content must be divided into 3 chapters minimum, it must also have 3/4/5 subtexts (sidebars) and one caption per chapter. You have 1 week for this. You can also choose to obtain the text from a source, which you will credit or solicit a real job from a client that falls roughly within the parameters mentioned above. 

2. (3 Weeks) Identify 16 areas in your written text for visualization, you may use any medium that is suitable for your topic/direction, for example: illustration, photography or mix-media. You have 3 weeks for this (after completing your 3000 words). As you proceed through the stages of the project you will be given exercises (Task 1) that will help prepare you for the following or the current stages of the project. Task 2 must be finished within 4–5 weeks.

By the second week, sir asked us all to complete our 3,000 words and upload it in our blog : 

I decided to go with this margin as i liked the big white space surrounding the margin as I felt it left a clean look :

Figure 1, Margin Size of the Book

Week 3 & 4

I first started to explore using different colour filters on my photos to give it a consistent look.  I tried the black and white first, but sir said not using colour in a food book loses its spark and interest. Thus, I went back to the chalk board and start to play around with coloured filters. To still maintain the consistency between each picture I settled for editing the pictures with a warm colour tone.

Figure 2, First Phase of Editing My Visuals

I liked the look of it but sir told me it still looked kinda bland like something was missing, he suggested I used the 'Noise' Effect on my photos to create a unique pattern, thus I tried it and I liked the look of it.

Figure 3, Second Phase of Editing My Visuals

It gave the photo a vintage type of effect and sir approved it. However most of the photos in my book are relatively food pictures, thus I decided to try and edit one of my food pictures.

Figure 4, Editing My Food Visual 1

Figure 5, Editing My Food Visual 2

After editing the food pictures, I realised I cant really carry on with this type of editing as it ruins the beauty of the food images making it look like a lump of blurred colour. So i decided to look at different type of references to get started on a different direction.

Week 5

After going through different photo references I found myself settling down to this specific type of photography editing style : 

Figure 6, New Reference Photos

I found it kinda cute and I thought I could still keep the clarity of my images while still adding myself into it. I started making a few of the visuals for it to get approved by sir and once it was I carried out by doing all 16 of my visuals by hand in Procreate.

Example of the process of creating the visual : 

Figure 7, Timelapse of Visual Editing Porcess

The results were these and it was approved by sir : 

Figure 8, Final 16 Visuals

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Task 2 Compilation : 

1. 3,000 words formation

Figure 9, 3000 Words Formation

2. Completed 16 visuals 

Figure 10, Visual 1 

Figure 12, Visual 2 

Figure 13, Visual 3

Figure 14, Visual 4 

Figure 15, Visual 5 

Figure 16, Visual 6 

Figure 17, Visual 7 

Figure 18 , Visual 8 

Figure 19, Visual 9 

Figure 20, Visual 10 

Figure 21, Visual 11 

Figure 22, Visual 12 

Figure 23, Visual 13 

Figure 24, Visual 14 

Figure 25, Visual 15 

Figure 26, Visual 16 

3. Thumbnail of Compiled Visuals

Figure 27, Thumbnail of Compiled Visuals

4. Completed 16 visuals (PDF)

Figure 28, Compiled Visuals (PDF)

5. Thumbnail of Compiled Visuals (PDF)

Figure 29, Thumbnail of Compiled Visuals (PDF)

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Feedback

Week 4 

Medical Leave

Week 5

Sir looked through my visuals and approved it, he said he could see how I tried to keep the colour consistent throughout the pictures. He asked us to make sure we are done with task 1 and that we should be done with task two before next week. He later asked to to start creating layouts of our book.

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Reflection

Experience: 

This project allowed me to experience the full process of developing a publication, from writing the content to creating supporting visuals. I enjoyed experimenting with different editing styles and illustration techniques before finalizing a direction that suited my book. Although some ideas did not work as expected, the process helped me improve my creative and technical skills.

Observations:

I observed that consistency plays a crucial role in publication design. Through lecturer feedback, I learned that visual choices must support the content and audience. I also noticed that food photography requires careful editing to maintain its appeal while still achieving a cohesive visual style.

Findings:

I found that research, experimentation, and feedback are essential parts of the design process. Exploring different references helped me discover a more suitable visual direction, while creating all 16 visuals strengthened my skills in digital illustration. Overall, I gained a better understanding of how visual consistency and thoughtful design contribute to an effective publication.