DESIGN FOR PRINT// Print Book Digital Ideas Generation

I've been mocking up some ideas for the new print production manual... I am trying to make the manual as simple as possible whilst also being useful for students on the graphic design course. I want it to be the sort of thing that we would need when starting the course and getting to know terminology and processes, a sort of beginners guide for those who are already half aware of the subject. As a result the book must not assume that the reader knows everything whilst making sure the things described are not to simplistic.

One idea I have taken particular interest in is the CYMK swatch that appears on every page. Here it is seen on a page about the A-format paper size in the bottom right corner. The idea here is that for every page I will select a different stock that is available in college. The CMYK swatch will allow the reader to see how each stock effects the printed colour and also how ink reacts to the given stock in general. I would consider this extremely important, especially at the start of the course when everyone is going print crazy and making mistakes when choosing stocks that don't suit the job.

This image is just a quick example of how the diagrams in my print book could look, simple and refined, easily readable. They would have to have some accompanying  text to make any sense however.

I did try to make a more interesting way to display colour mixing in colour theory. This experiment was intended to show the RGB colours forming CYM and white. This did not really work and is much more confusing than the tries and tested circle method.

Additive and Subtractive colour modes explained in simple diagrams. The page these sit on in the book will have to have some accompanying text to guide the reader.

Some examples of how the front cover could look. The idea is based on the printing process where dots are used to achieve colour mixing and shades of the base colours. The text appears as a knockout of the dot matrix. In the actual print I plan on using a spot varnish or foiling to get the dots to really stand out and improve the overall quality and feel of the print manual.

I was also messing about with some ideas for the diagrams and the styles they could incorporate. Here pad printing is explained. I think that the diagram would be more fitting and stylish if it where simplified and not to illustrative.