Research
30 Circles
Mind Map
I chose the question, “Is it healthier to live in the city or the country?” On the top half of the entire book, I went through the pros and cons of living in the city and did the same on the bottom for living in the country. I added in little drawings throughout, and had many lines connecting to different ideas and topics. At the end of the book, I came up with a verdict that briefly explains where would be the best for you to live depending on your preferences.
Finding Inspiration Photos
After getting stuck on what I wanted to do for my sketchbook cover, I went looking for inspiration online and found the photo on the far left. It caught my attention, because it was essentially all of my ideas in one. The middle photo is a quote that has this interesting font that I have used before in a personal project and wanted to use again for this project. The last photo is what I used for inspiration on what to put around the phrase, like in the first photo.
Exercise
Mini Sketchbook
I had so many ideas that I drew out all of them in this exercise and then ended up becoming very torn on what to do. For the front, I had an idea of drawing out the word “design” using different art supplies or making a circular window to look inside the book. On the back, I wanted to keep it simple, but have it still match the front. Surprisingly, my final sketchbook ended up combining all of these ideas into one.
I wrote out a long list of possible materials to use and what my surprise element in my book should be. I wanted to use basic paper, like card stock and grid paper. I wanted the book to be mostly blank and simple so my ideas that I draw within it would speak for themselves and not be overshadowed by too many materials. For my surprise element, I mainly either wanted something that gave me storage or a way to organize the book overall. There are a lot of ideas about labeling and lists, but I decided to go with pockets on both sides of the book.
Iterations
Front Cover
I experimented with whether or not I should fill in the word or not. I was debating whether to make the word pop or keep it as an outline like the rest of the images around it. Also, I played around with keeping or taking out the circle around the edge. I was torn between the two, because the circle was originally intended to be taken out but it became a nice touch as that image came along.
Back Cover
I knew I wanted a clean and simple back cover, so I decided to just put my name and the other requirements for the back cover on it. I mostly played around with what font to use and the placement of the text. I wanted a bold and slanted font on the back to slightly resemble the thick and curvy letters on the front. I also decided to put all of the text in the middle to further create a sense of unity with the front and back. The outline on the second photo shows the outline of the outer edge of my sketchbook. I wanted curved corners so the edges wouldn’t get so beat and torn up over time.
Production
Designing the Cover
I used the font from the quote photo above as inspiration to write out the word “sketchbook.” I added in the circle as a guide for the materials that I plan to insert inside, referring back to the photo that I found.
I filled in the word “sketchbook” completely in black to make it pop. Slowly but surely, I added multiple different types of supplies and arranged them to fit around the word. Originally, I had the circle there to make sure I kept all the materials in a circular shape and planned on removing it afterwards. However, I realized that I liked it better with the circle after testing removing the circle.
Gathering the Materials
I chose brown chipboard for my cover to give it more of a wood or natural feel and chose colored card stock that I felt fit the cover but was also colors that I enjoyed. I also had found a notebook filled with grid paper that I hadn’t used and decided to use a couple pages in my sketchbook. For my surprise element, I decided on pockets and found these craft paper envelopes that closely matched the color of my cover material. I also got neutral colored yarn to bind my book together.
Using the Laser Cutter
The first go on the laser cutter didn’t go quite as planned and my image ended up a little askew. I had hoped to still be able to use it, but I knew I would run into trouble once I wanted to bind the book.
On the second try, I was able to successfully print out my cover at the Innovation Studio. I did have to scrub and wipe it down to get rid of all of the debris, but it turned out great. I also cut out all of my pages.
Binding the Book
I had everything printed out and realized that I did not make any holes for my yarn binding to go through. I wasn’t able to go back to the laser cutter so I improvised with a screwdriver and stray screw that I thankfully found. I marked out two spots on both my front and back cover to go through with the screw and screwed until I got to the outside. It took more effort than I anticipated, but it was successful.
Once I did the front and back cover, I used them as guides for all of the card stock and paper meant to go inside the book. I also had to rearrange all of my pages again since they got so mixed up during the process. I lined up my sketchbook materials and used a yarn needle to thread the yarn through both holes. I ended up laying the book completely flat when tying it so it had the right amount of slack whenever I opened it.
Final Product
Front and Back Cover
Contents and Details
Link to Portfolio Piece: Sketchbook