OUGD404 - Studio Brief 02 - Binding and Covers

Of the many binding options I could have chosen for this publication I decided to use a simple saddle stitch, as I wanted a minimally-invasive binding that would not disrupt or distract from the content. This binding also enhances the DIY zine aspect of the publication which is appropriate to and enhances the theme of tenderness and the hand-made. Also, even after an extended drying time, the nature of Risograph printing means that heavily printed pages often remain 'damp', and ink can still be transferred and smudged when the pages are handled. The cover of this publication consisted of a full bleed print and so over-handling the pages would leave fingerprints - a saddle stitch was minimise any risk of this as it can be done quickly and mechanically.

The finished pages were collated together into individual books, which were creased down the middle to create the central fold. The publications were then individually stapled and cut to remove the bleed margins and any misaligned edges.

Collated pages stacked in individual books

Publications after folding

A publication mid-saddle stitch

The publications were trimmed on an industrial guillotine 

To complete the publications I felt that it was necessary to add a protective dust jacket to help prevent damage and smudging to both the printed cover and the inside content. To compliment the 'tenderness' of the books, the dust jackets were created from tracing paper so as not to obstruct the cover and also to play into the idea of layers within the publication. Each of the thirty dust jackets were folded by hand to fit the individual books.

OUGD404 - Studio Brief 02 - Risograph Printing Part II (Printing Is Damn Difficult)

Unfortunately, Risograph production is rarely seen in many of the bigger commercial printing presses, most probably due to a scarcity of the machines within the UK, their initial start-up costs (anywhere between £200 and £3000 for the basic machine second hand, £80 for a master roll, £650 for one ink drum, £50 for one ink tube) and the time-consuming labour-of-love style of production. However, in recent years they have become hugely popular among artist communities, quickly rising to be a favoured method of producing both small and large scale runs of self-made publications, prints, and zines. There are now a multitude of specialist Riso studios within London and the UK, including Hato Press, Two Press, and Ditto. Most do not allow public access to their machines, and the one's that do operate on a send-to-print basis, meaning they take full control of the actual printing process.

Luckily, one of only a couple of publicly available Risograph machines can be found within Foundation Press, a small printing press run exclusively by the foundation students at the University of Sunderland, and the home of my former foundation course. After reaching out to the tutors there they were very keen for me to come back to Sunderland again and print my publication.

Book pages laid out in preparation for printing 

The process of actually printing the book was more complicated than I had initially estimated. As always when using this particular machine, I knew to expect certain surprise elements. For example, the machine itself is relatively old as it was acquired second hand and has been in constant use at Foundation Press for nearly five years, and therefore is sometimes unexpectedly slow at performing certain tasks, or can break without any given warning whatsoever. What I had not anticipated was that a current foundation student at Sunderland had been using the machine the week before me and had had some issues with printing, which ultimately resulted in one of the drums leaking ink all over the inside of the machine. This required an internal service and although the machine was running again by the time I arrived, it was not running as smoothly as it should have been, and unfortunately meant that the red ink drum was out of action. I had planned to use a relatively large amount of red colour within my publication, and so I had to reconfigure the colour scheme of a large proportion of the book before printing any of the pages. Luckily the pink ink drum was still useable, and when used lightly or layered over yellow it could produce similar effects, although this would mean that the tone of the publication would be slightly altered, enhancing the naivety of its appearance.

After some necessary changes, printing the bulk of the publication went relatively smoothly. When printing full pages it is always important to leave an appropriate amount of time between different layers, as each page come out slightly damp and needs to be allowed to dry between runs through the machine. Running wet pages allows ink to build up on the internal rollers and can leave roller marks across your pages. Depending on how saturated the page is depends on how long it must dry for: large areas of 100% density can take up to twelve hours to dry properly, whereas lighter layers, such as small text or areas with a low density may only take 20-30 minutes.

I used a recycled office stock called Evercopy Plus at 80gsm, which is a relatively thin stock to use for this type of printing. Some of the more heavily printed areas showed through on the backs of the pages, which was something I had not initial accounted for, but I found that this worked in favour of the publication, as the translucency of the pages enhanced the feeling of tenderness portrayed through the illustrations, and allowed many of the designs to be seen almost as a sequence rather than individual prints.

Before: pre-printed pages entering the machine for an additional layer of colour

After: a freshly printed pink layer ready for drying

A denser layer of pink colour that would take approximately an hour to dry

A lighter layer such as this would only require approximately

30 minutes before it could be re-printed

The Drying System - paper stacked in piles inside a storage draw

As with any process involving inks it is also necessary to clean the machine before and in between large runs of paper. With constant use and a daily run or inky pages it is natural for ink deposits to build up on the internal mechanisms, so this should be done with isopropyl alcohol after about every 500 copies.

There are a myriad of other small problems that occur regularly when printing with a Risograph, including paper jamming and layers misaligning as they are printed, but many of these can be fixed easily and quickly using the controls on the machine. The machine accommodates for adjustments in incoming paper weights, ensuring that each page passes through and is printed without smudging or delay. Naturally when layers of colour need to be tightly aligned, there are often mistakes, but the Riso allows for printed images to be aligned correctly by adjusting the position of the ink drum inside the machine, allowing layers to be moved by 0.5mm, all the way up to 1cm. This extra added freedom of control ensures high quality outcomes and reduces paper waste.

Despite missing the red drum I was still able to print with five colours - blue, green, pink, yellow and black. Every page had multiple layers of ink, each of which requiring a different coloured drum and a new master, but as adjustments to the colours and the layout of the content were made throughout the printing process, the number of different drums and masters increased. As a result, some pages required up to four drum changes and six to eight masters per fully printed page.

Midway through the printing I was plagued with another large setback. The ink inside the blue drum began to run out, and although there was spare ink to replace it, it wasn't actually compatible with this particular machine. I was only able to produce one more run of pages before the drum refused to print any more. Printing was once again halted as I had to stop and rework my colour scheme yet again.

The five ink drums in their cases

Some issues, such as running out of ink, can be side-stepped and worked around. However, if something breaks internally and the mechanism stops running, there are only two companies in the UK that are on call to fix it. If they cannot be reached, or more likely you can't afford to hire their services, you have to roll up your sleeves and get the manual out. Risograph printing is a far more physically process than it first appears, but as a practicing creative this actually serves to be useful. Learning how the machine works physically (and how to fix it) allows for a deeper understanding of this particular printing process, and give foresight into how work can be tailored and created and to gain the absolute maximum from this machine, while also furthering the appreciation of physical vs. digital printing methods and how they can be used in conjunction with one another.

In total I printed a run of 35 copies for each page, with a margin of five pages to account for printing errors, leaving me with 30 editions of the publication. Although this is a relatively large number for this project, the nature of the machine requires that a minimum of 20 copies is printed per master to ensure that the ink is properly coated inside the drum, and it is more energy and ink efficient to produce larger volumes of prints.

Due to the obviously popular demand of this Risograph, the machine was only available to me for a brief three day window, but working for the maximum of the 21 hours that I was given meant that I was able to print the entirety of my publication within this time.

OUGD406 - Studio Brief 03 - Drawing Up The Contract

Before continuing with the design work, we decided on a name for the exhibition, Get Rich, and drew up a contract in order to delegate the different jobs. As a group we listed all of the elements that would need to designed or considered for the exhibition and then assigned each task to one or two members of the team, depending on strengths within certain areas or with certain processes.

I volunteered to design and produce the accompanying exhibition publication, alongside input from the whole group, because publication design is the area that I'm most interested in within graphic design.

OUGD406 - Studio Brief 03 - Collaborative Practice, Exhibition Branding

Working as part of a creative team put together a pitch for the concept, branding, identity and promotional collateral for the License to Print Money exhibition at Bank House. Create an engaging, identity and promotional campaign for the License to Print Money Exhibition. What is unique about this exhibition? How can the content, location, exhibitors potentially inform your design treatment. Who is the target audience? What do they need to know? How will you engage with them?

As a team our first priority was to research the building itself, Bank House, in order to gather information that might inform out concepts, branding and wayfinding. Looking into the history of the building, it was the former national headquarters of the Bank of England. The architecture is typical of the Brutalist style found throughout the 1950's-1970's. The distinctive block-style architecture had a lot of potential to influence our designs and we felt it would be an important part of the style of the exhibition. Looked at it's current use, it is a newly listed grade-two building and so there is an obvious element of heritage behind the building.

From this research we came up with a range of concepts that could be used within the exhibition:

The first was a concept based around the architecture of the building. We knew that using visual aspects of the building (block shapes) was a concept that was already being investigated by a number of other groups, and so we focused on looking at the blueprints of the building. The concept would involve using aspects of the architectural plans, including the aesthetics of the blueprints, the colour scheme, and the fine details. The blueprints would act as a sort of invitation to visitors, inviting them to investigate the secrecy and mystery of the building and the exhibition.

The second was a theme based around cops and robbers, particularly looking at the oversaturated aspects of cliche bank robberies. The concept would include the use of fake 'bling', dollar signs, tacky memorabilia and neon lighting. We quickly discarded this idea however as the quality of the work within the exhibition would not be reflected through this theme, and would downplay the designers involved in both the creating of the work and the curating of the exhibition.

A concept that I was keen to pitch was again based around cops and robbers, but instead drawing on the history of the 1960's and using influences from that era within the exhibition. The space itself would be divided into two halves; one half set up as though it were a scene from a 60's police station and one half set up as though it were a scene from a meeting place for a group of robbers. Using elements of theatre, each space would realistically staged, using furniture, maps, blueprints, wanted posters and banknotes. This would serve to fill the large exhibition space we were given and also play into the office feel of the room, rather than working against it.

During a critique with peers and tutors these ideas were discussed, and it was agreed that the tacky cops and robbers idea would not have been appropriate for this exhibition. Feedback suggested that looking further into both the 1960's cops and robbers idea and the blueprints had the potential to create a unique and engaging concept, but as a group we decided to continue with blueprint concept as we felt that the link to the exhibition building and the history of the building would tie nicely to the work to be displayed within the exhibition.

OUGD406 - Studio Brief 02 - Finished Banknotes

The final printed designs:

When these prints were presented in a final peer critique the feedback was positive. The level of detail was highlighted as a key aspect to the success of the notes, as the fine lines of the small text and the star pattern contrasts with the block colours of the background layers. Some felt that the pattern of the moon could have contrasted more with the background colours, and this could be resolved by mixing the ink more heavily with colour. The continuity between the designs in regards to the arching lines and the position of the moon tied the designs together as series, and the use of pastel colours were unique to other current banknote designs.

Because of the small details, aligning the layers became difficult, so there are slight technical errors on the final printed notes. In preparation for the exhibition I will reprint either one or all of the notes to ensure professional quality in the exhibited pieces. Despite these however I am confident that my skills within screenprinting have improved over the course of this project and that I am now able to push my experimentation and final outcomes within this area.

OUGD406 - Studio Brief 02 - Screenprinting

All three banknote designs were printed over the course of several hours as each note consisted of six different layers and required a short drying period between printing. The background layers of the designs were printed first and the details were added over the top. There were a few technical issues with printing some of the finer details, such as the small text and the star pattern, as the thick ink started to dry in the screen after several prints, but this was easily solved by wiping down the screen with a damp sponge.

Originally I had intended to print with glow-in-the-dark ink to add an additional layer to the star pattern, and to print with a clear medium to create areas of shiny texture. However both of these inks proved more problematic than I had anticipated due to the small details, and so I decided not to print with them for this version of the banknotes. With practice, and perhaps a larger surface area of the design to print with, these inks would prove highly effective in portraying the sci-fi nature of the notes.

During the printing of the background layers I decided to change the colours of the second and third notes to create a gradient across the notes so there was distinct difference between each of the designs.

OUGD406 - Studio Brief 02 - Preparations For Screenprinting

In preparation for screenprint, each of the layers for each of the banknotes had to separated out and converted into greyscale, ready for exposure on the screen:

OUGD406 - Studio Brief 02 - Space Banknote Design

To create my banknotes I sketched out a selection of designs and the mocked them up in Photoshop, focusing on the aspect of distance and the EURion constellation pattern. I decided not to include different shapes within the format of the physical note, as it was suggested that storing each of the banknotes together could become impractical.

Each banknote features a tiered design relating to the distance it would allow a user to travel. I chose to portray three of the most obvious places of space to travel to - the beginning of space (the Karman Line), the beginning of outer space, and the Moon. If the series was to continue, the distances would increase, eventually reaching the planets and the asteroid belt.

The EURion constellation is repeated five times within the star pattern:

An important design decision with the creation of the notes was the choice of typeface. The typeface should reflect the theme of space exploration, but also be clear and legible. The typeface used for the numbering is Futura, and Futura Extended for the additional text - chosen because of its sleek sixties feel (the defining era of space travel) and its extensive use with 2001: A Space Odyssey, possibly the best know sci-fi film of all time.

The designs will draw on a limited colour scheme, focusing primarily on selected shades of blue. They will also feature metallic silver ink for the text, arching lines and the moon, and glow-in-the-dark ink for the stars.

OUGD406 - Studio Brief 02 - Space Banknote Ideas

Of all of my initial ideas I was most interested in looking at the theme of space, particularly because it's a concept that is not currently seen on any currency. Also, considering the future of the banknote, space exploration is still very much at the forefront of technological advances, and space travel is becoming more of a possibility for civilians.

Using this theme I generated a variety of ideas. The first was a banknote based around the EURion constellation counterfeiting feature. The design would incorporate the pattern into a starry sky design, also featuring different planets or possibly different space craft. From this idea another concept would be to design a different banknote for each of the nine planets (including little Pluto), each taking a different shape and colour scheme based around the features of the planet.

Moving away from the traditional use of banknotes, it could also be feasible to create a series of notes based around distance rather than monetary value. Each note would equate to a certain number of kilometres, allowing civilians to travel to certain areas of space.

The last concept involved using one of the above designs but using a range of different materials to apply the design to, with the idea that each note would weigh a different amount in different anti-gravity situations throughout space. Materials could include wood, metal, plastics or cloth.

When presenting these ideas during a peer critique it became clear that a number of students were also looking at creating a space themed banknote. Because of this, a selection of my concepts felt repetitive, however there was positive feedback for the banknotes in different shapes, the distance related designs, and also to the use of the EURion constellation counterfeiting feature. Most people suggested that screenprinting would be the most appropriate printing method as it allowed for more precise detail to be included. In regards to materials, it was suggested that some or all parts of the banknote could be embossed onto holographic foil to play into the idea of science fiction. From this feedback I will move forward with the idea of distance, and also look at incorporating the EURion constellation into the designs.

OUGD406 - Studio Brief 02 - Initial Idea Generation

During an initial brainstorm for this project I generated a broad variety of ideas:

A space themed banknote based on the EURion constellation counterfeiting pattern, and

a nature themed banknotes drawing on the use of Charles Darwin on the current £10

note, to be printed on papers made from natural materials

 A series of notes reflecting the work of influential artists, both current and historical; a series

of notes featuring famous women throughout history; a series of banknotes drawing

attention to important figures with the LGBT movement, both current and historical

 A note printed using a microprinting technique, featuring text from famous literary novels;

a series of notes depicting a selection of general knowledge/science theories; a series of

space notes based around the different planets, each a different shape

A banknote made from polymer, consisting of a pattern of coloured

shapes so when folded, new patterns would be produced

Other ideas included designs based on thumbprints, halftone patterns reminiscent of traditional printing techniques and using different paper stocks or chemicals on paper that react at different temperatrues.

There are a multitude of ways to print the banknote but for any of these designs, screenprinting would be the most appropriate printing method as it allows for a greater level of detail and is an easy way to mass produce designs. 

OUGD404 - Studio Brief 02 - Final Drawings

After deciding on Risograph printing, I began to create and finalise the look of the content. As the book focuses on tenderness as a main concept I wanted each of the pages to be hand drawn, and after experimenting with a range of materials I settled on using a crayon to draw with, as it evokes naivety and the nature of the material creates a form of softness, as well as providing an obviously hand made aesthetic.

The process of creating and preparing the book's content for printing was relatively simple. I separated the text from the images, and where necessary I also separated different sections of the images, depending on how many colours would be used.  Each layer was drawn out by hand on individual sheets of paper, using a light box to ensure that the layers would be aligned properly. Initially I had scanned in every hand drawn page and begun to collate them into an InDesign document so that the process of making masters and printing the pages might be slightly smoother, but I decided to forego using a digital version of my publication as a guide as I felt that scanning each drawing in on the top of the machine like a photocopier would give me more freedom to adjust where my drawings were positioned on each page if I should need to.