These sets of prints were done to determine how well the images will look on the proposed stock. Cairn Straw White 120gsm is an "eco" paper so it has small specks caused by the unrefined pulp. Because of the inks translucency, the colour of the paper does come through when printing over and replicates the effect similar to film grain. This further emphasises the look of film photography onto the reader and also adding a more handmade and almost personal feel to the publication. At this stage, debossing the first page of the publication has not been tested yet and therefore the first page remains blank.
Goudy Oldstyle is used for the Display typeface of the publication because of it decorative features, more so than Garamond, which imply hand drawn strokes that tie in with the handmade feel of the booklets.
The appropriately coloured strings correspond with the colour of the cloth covers, keeping the visual theme consistent.
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7mm maargins |
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5mm margins |
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10mm margins |
The copy typeface still did not fit the publication style. Futura is far too modern to capture the shophouses' character, when see in situ, the typeface stands out negatively against the elements in the publication which achieves a unified handmade look. In a similar reason for Financial Time's copy typeface redesign, the use of Futura is ineffective in achieve the desired tone of voice. The publication should be telling a story to the reader. Futura's clean lines and straight strokes creates structure which feels informative to read rather than descriptive. The typeface is thus changed to Baskerville which pairs with the Goudy Oldstyle.
These changes were then printed again and the copy typeface aligns more with the shophouse's antique characteristics. Readability still remains an issue however. With the type size being 11pt, each line only has 3 words which makes reading the descriptions hard for the reader. To alleviate this, feedback was suggested to reduce the point size to 8 and to remove the 3 columns. Removing the 3 columns would remove its reference to the 3 shophouse French windows.
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With 12 pt leading |

When applied, the readability becomes significantly easier. Adding to this the leading as well was increased, creating a very casual reading experience that opens the publication up to more age groups. The addresses were added too in an effort to allow readers to visit the shophouses themselves.
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