503 - SB2 - LOOKBOOK Research 2

Hannah did some research on binding and production methods:

Binding Methods

One way that the book can be produced more creatively is to use an interesting bind that is relevant to the content. I will look at various different bind techniques and test a few out in order to gain a better understanding of what will be appropriate for the book. Although I don't know the exact bind that will be used on the book, I feel like it should not be a hardback and that the stitching should be visible; this is a subtle way to draw links to the sewing of the fabrics and garments that make up the designs of London Fashion Week.

Coptic Stitch 

A non-adhesive form of binding that stems from bookbinding methods employed by ancient Egyptians! Signatures are sewn through their folds, and attached to one another and again sewn through two loose covered boards with a chain like stitch across the spine. 

Section Sewn

The most secure binding method. Here pages are folded together into sections (signatures). Each section is then sewn into the following section along the spine. The spine is then glued together for extra support and the cover then attached. A Section Sewn book, regardless of pagecount will be able to lay flat. One thing about this bind that I like is the fact that the thread can be left long which makes it more obvious that the stitch being visible is a purposeful design decision. 

Japanese Bind

This is useful for binding single sheets of paper. You can have either a soft back or hard back cover which attaches to the text block with decorative stitching along the spine. Another option  using this decorative sewing technique is to only expose the stitching on the inside of the book. This is achieved by turning in the edge of the cover boards to create a hinge; the book is then sewn from the inside. It is recommended to use Japanese style binding for large or landscape format books as the binding requires a large margin. This could be useful as the bind allows ligatures to remain separate when bound which means that the book's ligatures could be split into each different person/look photographed.

Sewn Stitch

This is a simple stitch that replicates that of a sewing machine. This could be very useful for the look book as it draws obvious links to the content of the photographs and the whole purpose of London Fashion Week.

Paper Stock

The choice of paper stock is very important in creating a 'high fashion' aesthetic that is typical of look books. The look book is similar to the likes of vogue and other fashion magazines so research into the paper used within these is a good basis for choosing an similar appropriate stock.

'Coated paper has an enamel coating, which gives it a shiny surface. The ink does not soak in to this paper, and colours and photographs appear brighter and sharper.'

'Paper weight refers to the weight of a ream of standard cut paper . Typically, magazines use 50-, 60- or 70-lb. paper for the interior pages with an 80- or 100-lb. "cover stock" for the front cover. A paper's grade refers to how it reflects light. Magazines print on 3, 4 or 5 grade paper, which is often referred to as " bright," "extra bright" and "ultra," respectively.'

Either a gloss or a satin stock would be appropriate for the content of the design to ensure that the images remain as high in quality as possible. I think that other stocks should also be used as a way to show the creativity and diversity of the fashion week, however this will be decided when the book design is is underway.