Overall my blog does reflect how with this project my time management planning has improved massively - however it was the last problem I encountered which cause all the problems and taught me that I need to be even more time considered next time, completing final productions atleast a couple of weeks before the deadline.
Because of issues with my budget right before Christmas time, I was only able to fund one more printing session. This was only down to the fact that one of my course-mates had some left over metallic gold paint to screen-print with from their project and was kind enough to donate some to me! I decided this could be my very last attempt squeezed in - and it allows me to preview another technique that could actually be more available and appropriate for use if the publication were to be commercially printed.
With the small amount I had left I was able to have a couple of experiment pull throughs on some left-over stock I had from trimming the publication down. They did come out very nicely, not with the same reflective effect foiling has, but it still appeared metallic and luxurious enough for its purpose.
When it came to pulling through the final copy I laid the publication flat down on newsprint ensuring only the covers were visible and the other sides of the covers were out to the side and well protected.
I pulled it through and must’ve forgotten to re-flood the screen with ink, as it came out not as precise as the last couple which I was extremely disappointed with this being my last attempt.
The cover once completely constructed does still look professional and the gold screen-print does still look effective - in the crit it was suggested to me that the smudged look does give it more of a handmade, one-off feel reflective of Serbia and its undeveloped economy. However after the deadline when I am able to perfect the publication for my portfolio, I am going to opt for the foiling across the cover, as now I am aware of all the colliding factors and can control it better I can simply just adjust the image to the single page on the right; instead of starting with a full bleed image - making it more consistent with the start of section 4 as well.
Despite the complications with the cover, the publication does still appear professional and intriguing for the target market due to the varied sized stock sizes and colours bound along the same spine - with that golden type running across - it is very engaging and would stand out on a bookshelf full of other publications. The final crit showed me how setting a RRP of £20 is way too ambitious and this needed adjusting after taking away the concept of it being a Hardback coffee table book as oppose to a softback. I needed to have better considered how it is a student made publication and it was raised to me that you can receive free leaflets and flyers whilst walking around areas like Victoria Gate in Leeds where it features sophisticated design features such as foiling, but is still free - this doesn’t automatically make it high-end, bumping the price up!
Realistically a price of £8-10 was agreed on, and the comparison to a leaflet was made by someone due to the way all text is featured in the 2 columns. The price mark agreed wouldn’t be feesable if it was a publication that would only be produced one-off or in a small batch I don’t think as it did cost more to produce it than that pricemark.
Another point I will consider is the possibility of maybe using a thicker weighted stock for the covers on the 2 white sections of the publication. This would provide that extra layer of protection for the book and the bind, although this would protect it would make the stitching notion of the bind alot more difficult due to the extra thickness to account for.
Finally, I am pleased with how the binding method turned out, especially as attaching each individually sized stock all together required experimentation and developing my own complicated multi-section stitch technique to get it working still appearing in a neat and professional way. This final copy does feel a bit loose after some use, but this is necessary due to the thickness of the different booklet spines that need to fold over - otherwise it would have warped and creased. But for my very final copy for my portfolio I do plan to use a slightly thicker thread and to fasten it slightly tighter and ensure fastening nots and whiskers are hidden perfectly.
Overall, I did again enjoy developing my bookmaking skills and it was more enjoyable putting more of a photobook slant on the project. Experimenting in more detail with the surrounding form and technqiues has greatly benefitted me with the new processes I am now more proficient with such as foiling, stitch binding and screen-printing with different paints.
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