'Every Book Starts with an Idea: Notes for Designers' - by Armand Mevis (Notes/Analysis)

During this session, we look into and analysis an essay called 'Every Book Starts with an Idea: Notes for Designers' by Armand Mevis. 

The whole class did a group discussion, we shared some significant quotes within the essay that relates to our brief Type in Context:

• 'All these books have to be designed. Someone needs to decide which paper, typography, cover, to use'. 
• 'It may be a jungle; you may find it hard to get the nice job, and you might get lost, but that is part of the adventure'. 
• Mistakes are inherent to the job of making books through trial and error'. 
• Over the years we have learned to limit the number of mistake; we are now much more in control'. 
• 'Ideally, all books start with a question. The clearer the question, the more precise the answer'. 
• 'As designers we are as responsible for content as anyone else'.
• 'Some books arrived in plastic bags like garbage, stacks of unsorted images on CDs, bits and pieces of writing, with no editor, no writer, no publisher and no money'. 
• 'But sometimes the conditions are idea'. 
• 'The content is a source if inspiration in itself, it tells you where to go'. 
• 'Rethink what a book can be. Rethink the form, rethink how information can be organised, rethink the editing, propose alternative directions'. 
• 'Ask the right questions, tell those you are working with what you think and need, explain your idea, get them involved'. 
• 'Designing a book is a collaborative process, the designer depends on others all you have move together in the same direction'. 
• 'The content is the engine that leads to ideas, personal ideas, crazy ideas'. 
• 'All books tell stories about why or how they are designed'.
• 'If you are able to link the content to your concept and the concept form, you have succeeded'.
• 'The printing techniques is usually offset lithography; you can use black and white, full colour or Pantone colours.' 
• 'Books are bound in signatures of 4, 8, 16 or 32 pages'. 
• 'Paper has two sides, can be smooth or bulky'.  
• 'You always have to deal with the gutter in the middle of the spread'. 
• 'You can choose perfect binding, saddle stitching, soft or hard covers'. 
• 'You can express your ideas through typography, page layout and the structure of information'. 
• 'Use your imagination, talent and skill to move successfully through the complexity of designing and making books. 

Overall, I believe this essay conveys the true values of making a book. It also demonstrates how to produced a publication, by the type of paper, colour, black & white, size, binding methods, production methods and so on. In my opinion this essay is very helpful and open minded, it can lead designers to think in a positive way of producing a book. As some may a negative mind set in this sort of field, however the writer informs them to relax and only focus on the things that are important within making a publication. It also takes about the ups and downs when creating a publication, but there is always a solution to fix the mistakes that you have made. This is why the writer explains that making a book is a place for 'trial and errors'.