Studio Brief 02 - Experimenting with stock, print and finalised choice on composition

Before printing anything onto the chosen stock weight, the french fold was tested to get a gauge of how well each weight will fold.

On the left is an uncoated 135 gsm weight stock and on the right a coated 150. Due to the amount of folds the french fold requires, the 135 stock is better at keeping a flatter profile. A flatter profile is desired because it creates a more professional looking publication and aids in the way it is distributed. Furthermore there is a visible undesired effect when folding the coated stock.

It may be hard to see but folding coated paper creates unsightly creases and tears on the paper which will affect the quality of the print. Uncoated stock also creates visible creases however because there isn't a coating, it isn't as prominent as coated. Therefore the publication will be printed on uncoated stock.

To help in creating a flatter profile, scoring was done on the stock. However this too created undesired effects as the visible score marks are seen. Despite this there should be more attempts made in improving the scoring method as it is the most effective way in creating cleaner folds.

After deciding on the type of stock used for the publication, initial printing attempts were made on normal cartridge paper just to get a gauge of how well the designs look mocked up and what folding does to the ink. In this experiment, the plain white variation comes off as too clean and does not reflect as much of the 80s atmosphere that it should do. Therefore to rectify this, a change to a beige was opted from the colour experiments conducted previously to help convey a more vintage feel and a colour that was used more in the 80s.

Cairn Eco White 150gsm

Colorplan Carin Eco White 150gsm

Cairn Straw White 120gsm

Cairn Straw White 120gsm

Cairn Straw White 120gsm

Cairn Straw White 120gsm

Color plan Pale grey 135gsm

Color plan Pale grey 135gsm

These prints were done on different stock compared to the folding experiments, ranging from 120 to 150gsm. The Cairn Eco White and the Cairn Straw White are "eco" papers so they have small specks in them unlike the uniform colour of the Colorplan Pale grey and Colorplan Pristine White.

Because of the inks translucency, the colour of the paper does come through when printing over and does effect the vibrancy of the publication. For example, the colours printed on Cairn Eco White 150gsm appear darker than the colours on Cairn Straw 120gsm, especially when there are gaps in the body copy formed from the absence of white ink. This absence also displays the grain of the paper which does not lower the quality of the image but adds a more handmade and almost personal feel to the publication as shown below.

However there were problems with regarding the translucency of the ink and the method of printing. Because of the translucency, the lighter coloured stocks affected the shade of red on the other pages, turning it into pink.

The double sided printing method also did not entirely line up both sides of the paper correctly. This is not a human error but that of the printer.

Printing on black paper was an attempt to have the material of the paper contrast against the finish of the ink to create a more visually engaging publication. Clearly though, this did not work out as expected, the inks are far too thin to display the same vibrancy as the other prints.

After folding these prints, Cairn Straw White in 120gsm is the best choice for this publication. Despite the stock being the lightest out of the selection, the weight does not make the publication feel like a card and it makes it easier for folding. Furthermore the grain within the paper is a unexpected effect that adds character to the publication. This is stock is also white, which displays the best colour compared to the other stock where its colours come through and affect the ink.

The scoring method has improved from the previous experiments and I have produced much cleaner, almost unnoticeable marks on the stock. There was no evident creasing as well when folding these however in the black publication there were noticeable tears in the ink. This may be unavoidable. Overall a much improved folding technique that results in a more professional looking publication.

In keeping with the authenticity of the publication, there were cuts made into the side of the front cover where the user would put his/her fingers onto the actual VHS to pull it out. There was no cut made on the back page however as it made it easier to open the publication.

The main issue with these samples is the alignment of the two sides. The off alignment ruins the margins on the top, bottom and opening side.

After gaining feedback on the these two colours, the overall choice for the final publication is the black with gold bolt. It is the most eye-catching and because of the high contrast, it works well along side the bold yellow and red of the inside pages. Getting the readers attention is key within this publication because of the target audience it is for. A sterile, to the point Government leaflet is not going to maintain the young audience's attention as compared to a design such as the above and therefore may not fully communicate the message. Furthermore due to this more engaging design, the audience is more likely to keep it as a novelty rather than discard it immediately.