There’s something about printed matter that has me going weak at the knees. Yes, i will admit, it gets my full attention every single time. Is it because i studied graphic design, is it because my hunger for knowledge is huge but coupled with the visual and tactile stimulation can send me over the edge? I am fascinated by this. Regular readers of my blog and people who know me well will be aware of my obsession with magazines.
Today i came across this article in the guardian entitled ‘magazines will always have a place on people’s shelves’.
I’ve been pondering this era of transition we are in with litho printed books versus digital printing versions versus ebooks for ages. All have their place and i believe there’s room for every medium. In fact, as an avid reader i feel spoilt that i now have a choice. Sometimes i love reading a newspaper or magazine on my iPad as it gives me the opportunity to interact in a way the printed version can’t. More often than not i will wait in anticipation for a magazine subscription to come through the letterbox or to go and browse in a bookshop for my next guilty pleasure. Those moments of making myself a cup of herbal or green tea and sitting down to absorb the beautiful pages, the smell, the touch and the feeling a printed book or magazine gives me is priceless. Also, i love taking my mt tapes and a pencil and scribbling notes and ideas while drooling over the pages. Don’t you?
And then there is amazon, the big bad wolf and yet it has changed the way we purchase and read books and made it accessible to all. Another reason i am a fan of amazon book selling is the fact they support the domino project. ‘The domino project is a new way to think about publishing. Founded by seth godin and powered by amazon, we’re trying to change the way books are built, sold and spread.’ I’ve bought quite a few of their books, some in printed format some online and wholeheartedly support them.
But what about design books? What about the visual aspects? What about bookshelves and libraries? One of my favourite places to research and do some work in is the british library. There is no place like it and everytime i’m there i feel so proud to be living in london only a throwaway from this incredible piece of heritage.
And then we come to the beauty of book covers and spines. People spend ages rearranging their bookshelves according to colour, height, subject matter, authors, alphabetical order etc. I love changing around the layouts of my bookshelves and trick myself by often having to search for a title because it has been moved by me. Crazy i know but fun and it makes me feel as if my bookshelves change constantly and each book gets some attention.
As a designer, i’m fascinated by the graphics, the fonts, colours, embossing and generally the whole layout of a book. In view of this i thought it might be fun to show you some snippets of my library and the patterns that are forming in the photographs. Some of you might be interested in the titles themselves. Others might enjoy a colour reference or combination. Inspiration comes from everywhere right?
I mentioned the idea of book cover painting to the ever so clever nicola and guess what i found in my inbox this morning? Yep, thank you for this fantastic link.
I am curious to know what you guys think of all this, your tendencies when reading books and magazines and your views in general? Any opinions out there?
