The styleguide

I have decided that I am going to produce the style guide in A4 format. This means that I can use my grid to construct the content of the style guide. It would be great if I could show that I have used the grid in the style guide, perhaps I could print a gloss layer over all of the pages like in the RAC style guide book?  I am not going to go detail about every page that I am going to develop in the style guide, I hope that it should be self explanatory. However, I am going to explain some of the layout decisions that I am going to make.

This is the initial concept for the layout of one of the pages of my style guide book. I am using 4 modules of width for text and 5 modules of width for images. 

I really like the idea of having two columns dividing the information. Each column is 5 modules in width. They are divided by one gutter. When the images are smaller  than 5 modules in width, then I align them to the left of the modules in these columns. If the image is unavoidably larger than 5 modules in width then it is to be placed in the left column so that it runs over into the right column. Never will I have an image which has a left side which does not align with the left side of one of these columns. 

Text boxes are 4 modules in width. I was considering making them 5 modules in width to be consistent with the width of the containing information columns I have just described, however I want to use 8 point type for the content information and with a text box width of 5 modules there is too many words per line. I have oped for, on average, 7 words per line which Brockmann suggests is the optimum amount for ease of viewing and aesthetic pleasantness. 

I really like the small coloured pattern that I have created in the lower right corner of the page. I will create a coloured pattern in the bottom right hand corner of all of the pages of the Typography Workshop Style guide, each will be different in appearance.

This is my initial idea for breaking down all of the information into the Typography Workshop Styleguide into sections. A coloured square indicates the section that you are viewing. A different colour breaks the content down into A2 literature, A4 literature etc. I need to simplify this. I do not like the way that I have written how many pages are in the document on every single page. Also, when I Approach page 100, the numbers are going to extend into the 'Primary Colours' text title area. I can do one of two things. I can move the primary colours text over into the next module on every page, or I can get rid of the /117. I think the latter idea is the best. /117 is unnecessary information. 

This is my idea for the contents page of my document. It is a fairly extensive document consisting of 117 pages. I think that I need to simplify this. I need to bring the A4 literature into the right hand column so that it is with the other litarature formats. I also need to simplify my page numbering system .

New concept for A4 literature

To keep the design process of the A4 literature consistent with the process of A2 and A6 literature, I am going to construct the coloured patterns that the designer must construct before commencing with design. Similarly to A2 literature, I am going to design a range of 6 different coloured patterns. 5 of those will be predominantly one of the pantone colours and these will be used if a series of A4 literature is required to be created, and one coloured pattern which will consist of all of the pantone colours in equal amounts for general information. These are those cosntructed grids:

Now I am going to use these coloured grids to create a set of A4 posters as examples of how to design A4 literature following the styleguide that I am going to create. 

When I come to design my style guide, I will state that text must be placed on the A4 literature and then the designer has free reign over the choice of areas of coloured grid to remove. Ultimately, a balanced composition is required. I quite like the way that I have created a band here for the type, it is rather similar to my A2 literature design. 

This utalises 30 point type for the text. I really like the layout, I think that I have broken up sections of the text well. There is a lot of text here, I am wanting to show an example of how large amounts of text can be displayed on A4 litearature. I also like the way that the two sections of type have been broken, and the lower section of type starts in two modules to the right of the higher section of type. I will describe in my style guide how to use type. I will suggest that the amount of words that should be displayed per line and the way that heavy amounts of text should be broken up. 

This is an example of where the logotype can be displayed in A4 literature. I have started here to think about the actual style guide. I have created a grid that is easy to follow and interpret. Then, the designer can accurately place the logotype on the A4 literature. 

The reverse of A6 literature

This will hold all of the information for the leaflet. This may include dates and times of the masterclass, dates and times of workshops or information about designing itself, for instance how to set up a baseline grid or how to construct margins. 

There could be a lot of text on the reverse of A6 literature so my description for how to design the reverse of this leaflet must be prepared to accommodate this. 

The reverse will use exactly the same document grid as the front. 

I am going to develop two examples for the design of the reverse of the A6 literature. I will utilise colour in the one and I will only use black and white type in the other. This is because I am going to state in my style guide that either method is acceptable. It depends upon the designer and how he wants to break up the information so that it is easy to read and understand. 

Development of colour reverse:

The above shows my thinking process in the design of the reverse of A6 literature in colour. I have used coloured squares to break up the information which I will define in my style guide as acceptable to do. Also, I have included rather a large amount of type. The larger text areas have a column width of 4 mondules and are in 8 point type. I experimented with 3 module width type but there was too few words per line and so it was becoming awkward to look at and difficult to read. Here, on average around 8 words per line are used. I also quite like the idea of only showing the surname of the typographer  If the reader wants to know who that person is, then they simply research them. 

The reverse of A6 literature in black type:

Unfortunately, I cannot locate the development work that got me to this design point for black type, however you can see my thinking behind the separation of information. In the left columns displays the date and the time, then in column two displays the name of the designer for the masterclass. This is displayed across two lines so that the name only requires one column width. Then there is an empty column (Jonathan Barnbrook's name extends slightly into this column but I do not think that this affects the overall design and legibility of layout of type) and then I have a small amount of information about the masterclass that extends over two modules. I quite like this asymmetric layout of information. It is in a table format and it is clean and clear. It is easy on the eye and really simple to navigate. 

New designs A6 literature

This is the coloured pattern that I have created for A6 literature. When I complete the style guide I will define that this pattern has to be created before any other design work can commence, ie the placement of logo and the type. My idea is that once you place the type and logo you then remove areas of the coloured pattern to create a balanced asymmetric layout. 

All of the above examples use the design system that I have described. They use different sized fonts. I actually quite like all of the layouts. They are much stronger now that I am using the same coloured pattern to base all of the designs on. I will use all of these in my style guide as examples for the front of A6 literature. 

A6 literature- experimenting with layout

The following are layout ideas for the front of this A6 literature. I want to keep it very simple. I want the logo on the front, and a simple explanation of what the leaflet is about. When I come to do the style guide I will explain that this can be about anything to do with the Typography Workshop and any information that they need to distribute. For some reason, the pantones have changed on these experiments, I think that I have imported the wrong pantone list into indesign. Some of the colours are a lot lighter than my final pantone colour range. However, they work perfectly fine for illustrating layout ideas as the composition at this stage is more important than the colours used. 

I am finding it very difficult to get the front of the A6 literature to look aesthetically pleasing and balanced as a composition. Either the type looks out of place or the patterns do not look right. Also, I have noticed that I am using 4mm squares (that I filled in the gutter of the grid) in the coloured grids of these ideas. When I come to design the final ideas, I will remove these. I need to come up with a simpler method of designing the front of A6 literature. I have decided that in the style guide, I am going to define that the logo type requires a boundary of at least one module. Also, I am going to state that the logo can only be produced on a white background. Therefore, because of the size of the grid, the logo on A6 literature creates a rectangluar band across the whole of the composition. I do not mind this, I think it creates an interesting dynamic composition, particularly as I am purposefully not placing this white band in the centre of the composition. 

Here, I am experimenting with 16 point type for the word 'Timetable'. I think that simply writing 'Timetable' is enough to explain what the leaflet is about. Because the typography workshop identity is designed so that it is displayed across the whole of Sion Hill campus, after a short while people should become familiar with the logotype and therefore I am opting not to write 'Typography Workshop' on all literature that I produce. 

I think that the above image is definately getting somewhere, the positioning of the coloured pattern is strong, I like the way that it draws your eye to the top right of the composition, however The typography Workshop Timetable type is far too small. It gets lost in the coloured pattern and the size of the logo. I think that the reason why I am finding it difficult to come up with a design that is aesthetically pleasing is because the logo is so large. However, this cannot be altered as it is designed so that it fits into the gutter space of the document grid. 

Having vertical type certainly doesnt work. It makes for a very confusing layout. 

I have decided that to simplify the design process and to reduce the amount of possibilities of design, I am going to dictate the coloured pattern that you have to use and edit. This will mean that the designer will be able to make a quicker decision for the composition of the front of the A6 literature. It will work following the same principles as design for A2 literature where I define the coloured pattern and the designer edits this. However, I think that I only need one coloured pattern this time 

Development of A6 literature

I have decided that I am going to develop A6 sized literature. This will be a hand out with information displayed on the front and the back. I think it is the perfect size for a handout. It is small and can easily be folded and put into a pocket. Also, it can be printed in mass with very low cost. I am going to calculate the margins for this paper size. I want the modules and the gutter to be the same as in A4 and A6 literature. Therefore, the grid for A6 literature is going to be really simple.


For an a6 document format:

Paper size- 148mm x 105mm

To calculate the number of columns I am going to divide the width of the document by the total width of one gutter and one margin.

105mm / 18mm = 5.83

So if we round this figure down and say that we have 5 columns.

For the module width-
5 x 14 = 70mm

For the gutter width-
4 x 4 = 16mm

16 + 70 = 86mm

105 - 86 = 19mm
19mm/2 = 9.5mm

So the left and right margin is 9.5mm

To calculate the number of rows I am going to divide the height of the A6 literature by the sum of the gutter and module width. So:

148mm / 18mm = 8.22

So if we round this figure down and suggest that we have 7 rows

The modules:
7 x 14 = 98mm

The gutter:
6 x 4 = 24mm

24 mm+ 98mm = 122mm

148mm - 122mm= 26mm

26 / 2 = 13 mm

13 mm seems like a fair amount of space for a top and bottom margin on a document that is 148mm in height.

So on an a6 document, we have 5 columns and 7 rows, with 9.5mm left and right margin and a 13 mm margin top and bottom.

Now I am going to see how this looks as a grid in an A6 document:

I am happy with this grid size. Although the grid is very simple, I still feel it gives enough options for text placement and placement of logotype. I will most probably be using 8 point type which means that my column width for text will be across fewer modules than in A4 or A2 literature. 

Further A2 literature layout ideas

This was my initial attempt at a different placement for type and the type containing area. I have kept the image size the same but I have placed it higher in the composition. Then, I have brought the type containing area downwards. I think this is an ok attempt at another positioning for type, but I think it is a little lazy. I think that I need to offer the viewer more than one image size. I think that an effective image placement may be below the text containing area in the bottom right corner of the composition. (Also, I have just noticed that this is not an image of Jonathan Barnbrook it is Wim Crouwel). 

This composition works much better. It is more dynamic as a layout. It is visually more interesting having all of the weight at the bottom of the composition. I am not sure about not including the name of the typographer. This was intentional, I wanted the poster to be more mysterious. However, I think that these posters need to be really obvious and clear about their display of information. 

Final set of A2 posters ?

These are 5 poster designs that use the 5 pantone grids. I think they work really well as a set. I think though that the set needs varying font sizes and varying amounts of information. If they are to be displayed next to each other, which I think could look rather impressive, then varied font sizes will give them more of a dynamic presence. Otherwise, it is the same layout and presentation on each poster which may get tiresome to the viewer. 

Also, I need to watch kerning between some of the letters. This is something that I will edit later when I have come up with a finalised set of posters. I have heavily kerned the date on some of these posters because I thought that it would create a lighter overall feel to the type but I really do not like this, it is not consistant with other type on the poster and it generally looks awkward. 

Also, I am really specifically outlining the way that A2 literature is produced, but I do not think that there is enough choice for the designer at the moment. I think I need to think about another positioning for type and another image size for A2 literature design.