Process

Research and Sketching

Development

For our project, we were required to print and assemble our books to make our digital file into a tangible, physical book Throughout the process of printing, I discovered the challenges of working between RGB and CMYK color spaces and the issues that came with printing—I then adjusted my files to accommodate for print errors. With multiple prints and testing color swatches, I was able to get the results I wanted for my final printed copy.

When I began this project, I started by researching two topics: K-Pop album designers and the album package designs themselves. I found interviews and portfolios of the designers who were thoroughly experienced in designing K-pop album packages and referenced their tips and tricks to designing a successful product when writing the content of the book. I then compiled images of album packages to take inspiration from, for I wanted my own book to resemble the crisp, clean imagery of more modern K-pop album packages.

As I began to ideate what I wanted my spreads to look like, I referenced K-pop album covers with typographic motifs that I wanted to implement into my book. I started with looser sketches to give myself a general idea of what my book would look like. I created more complex layout sketches that planned out where specific text adornments would be placed and how text blocks would be arranged.

I later found that, though I enjoyed my original sketches, I faced many issues with trying to fit my content into a square format. I adjusted my book to fit into a rectangular spread, which solved my issues.

Throughout the project, I went through critiques with my peers to further adjust and develop my spreads. I used a printed, black-and-white copy of my book to make annotations and give myself an accurate idea of what my final project would look like. As I developed my final copy of the project, I took my peers’ advice into consideration when making edits to details.