Project 5: Grids, Style, & Format
In this project, we were allowed to choose any piece of our own and create a bound book with text and imagery to match the content. All methods of illustration were available for use. We had the freedom to determine the formatting of our grid systems, typography, and dimensions. We also needed to choose our binding and paper type. With each element, we had to keep in mind how each decision related to the content.
I chose to make a bullet journal spread for the month of December as my book, making its main theme snowflakes. After deciding, I knew that I had to make the paper size A5, use plain paper, and include handwritten fonts to closely emulate real bullet journals.
Sketches
I began with setting up sketches for each spread. I wanted to include the major components of a bullet journal — the cover, a calendar, habit and mood trackers, and weekly spreads. For the weekly spreads, I wanted to provide a healthy mix of horizontal and vertical spreads while still maintaining a cohesive snowflake theme. The sketches provided a main framework for the types of graphics I wanted to use in my digital iterations.
Digital Iterations (Part 1)
When first beginning my digital iterations in InDesign, I needed to set up a dot grid to emulate the kinds in bullet journals. To do this, I first measured dimensions in my Leuchtturm1917 A5 bullet journal to find out the spacing between dots. I then went to the A-Master page and created a circle, which I copied and pasted in a grid using the dimensions I had measured, adding page numbers once the grid was complete.
In the pages of the actual book, I made the basic shapes (squares and rectangles) in InDesign while I created the patterns of snowflakes using brushes on Photoshop. My main font at this stage was Brush Script MT because it was a calligraphic font that I had on my computer. I used Avenir as a placeholder for the fonts of page numbers, deciding on what it should be after the interim critique.
The calendar and habit trackers were standard layouts excluding the decorations, as I did not wish to needlessly complicate those with different approaches. For the mood tracker, I chose to use a fillable clipart image to allow the user to color in the snowflake with a color that matches their mood.
Interim Critiques
At the interim critiques, I asked for feedback on the typeface, specifically the legibility and how well it fit with the rest of the spread. I also wanted to know what people thought about the snowflakes and how they were placed on the paper. In general, people told me that I should use a different calligraphic font because it was too bold compared to the snowflakes, which they thought were at a good composition and color. The small text at the habit tracker was also difficult to read. I also got comments about adding more color to make the spreads more personalized and interesting.
Digital Iterations (Part 2)
After receiving comments from the interim critiques, I set out to build the rest of my spreads and improve on the ones that were already created. Immediately, I searched online for more options for fonts, deciding to use one called Winter Calligraphy for the headings and large numbers. This font had a calligraphic feel, but it was not overly bold. I changed my smaller text, which I used for the habit tracker and credits, to a neat handwritten font called Please Write Me a Song. Finally, the page numbers in the A-Master were changed to Brush Script MT to match the smaller numbers found elsewhere throughout the journal.
When creating the cover page and weekly spreads, I used similar methods as before to create my graphics — making basic shapes in InDesign and laying out more complicated shapes and snowflake patterns in Photoshop. As usual, I needed to maintain a general unified look while still varying my spreads from week to week. I added a light pink to all of my spreads to give the journal a more interesting color scheme while still maintaining a delicate look.
After finishing this draft, I was still unsure of how to make pages 8–9 (the bottom left spread in the image) have enough color to match the other spreads. I ended up placing that blue bar because I couldn’t think of anything else. When I showed the draft to Suzanne, she suggested making the bar have dates to make it more intentional, which I fixed for the final critique.
I stayed true to my original plan of using plain paper as my paper type to allow a user to easily write in it, binding it simply with thread. Below are pictures of all of my final spreads.
