OUGD504 - SB1 - A-Z: Type in Context - Test Prints & Feedback

An initial test print was made to check for mistakes and see whether the overall layout physically works. This first test print can be seen below to the left. After receiving feedback from various people in the class, I asked Nick what he thought about the layout. He explained that the use of Tschichold's canon for margins is outdated and not relevant in magazines today. To highlight this, we analysed a variety of current magazines I brought in - all of which had equal outer margins and gutters. As my publication is trying to follow a similar aesthetic to the journals/mags analysed, this central page layout seemed a more appropriate to go down. The content was all adjusted to the new margins in InDesign and printed off once again. This second print can be seen below to the right. Everyone in the class preferred this layout, as the majority of comments received made clear that the initial layout felt too tight to the centre of the page.

After confirming the new layout, I showed Nick the 2nd test print to see what he thought. He raised one more point about the type size used - 12pt had been used for the body copy because it was found in the research stages that body copy should be 10-14pt in size (according to Indesign.com). However, Nick said that the point size for an A4 publication should not go over 9pt, as it is quite a mature book where oversized type would look quite amateur. In this sense, the type size had to be reconsidered.

For some further feedback, both Simons explained that 8-12pt should be used for A4 body copy. Once again, a few magazines provided a comparison with the 2nd test print. The type size in my print did look slightly too large in comparison. As it is difficult to tell when observing on screen, a 3rd test print was made, comparing type with 12pt and type with 9pt. All the feedback received suggested that 9pt, or 10 pt, would be most suitable for the publication. Therefore, all the type in the publication was re-sized and laid out again.

The printers at uni are unfortunately not very accurate when it comes to double-sided printing. The bleed and crop marks are printed a few mm off on each side, which causes the pages to misalign when trimmed and folded. As seen below, spreads either have gaps in the gutter or have areas where images have leaked onto the following page. There is no real way of getting round this at uni because all the printers are not very accurate. To get around this, commercial printing has to be considered, as the printers used can provide an accurate double-sided print that ensures there are no gaps or page misalignments.

The final choice in type, grids and page alignment can be seen below.