Publication Project - Cover Research #2

I didn't limit myself to just surf mags. I also found a massive archive of brilliant inspiration on the website of lovely french songstress Francoise Hardy:

I particularly like the look of "Tuney Tunes".

Publication Project - Cover Research

The vintage photo of Charles really got me inspired to make my publication have a retro-style cover. I did an extensive search and found these beautiful examples of 60s surf magazine design:

Publication Project - Cover Photo

While I was out taking photos of my friend Charles' astronomy kit, I noticed this photo on his PC:

This is Charles when he was 12 years old, back in the sixties. I think that this would be absolutely perfect for my magazine/book cover. The rounded corners make me think of classic surf mag design from the 60s/70s, which is a look that I would like to achieve. Backyard astronomy is perceived to be a geeky pursuit for some reason or other, so I reckon it would be nice to make my publication really stylised and kind of hip.

Publication Project - Photography

I decided to go and photograph the various kit that members of Bath Astronomers used to observe and/or image. I knew that some of them had pretty sophisticated observatories in their back gardens but I was still pretty surprised by what I found.

I spoke to Colin, our photography tutor, who gave me some tips on ISO and exposure settings. He told me to try getting a big torch and backlighting the scene so the subject would stand out against the dark sky. Here are some of the best images I managed to get:

I am really happy with how some of these shots came out. I especially like the ones where you can see a bit of drainpipe or a washing line, highlighting the fact that this is very much a backyard, amateur pursuit.

Publication Project - Secondary Research

I managed to get some brilliant books on magazine design from the library:

I want to own pretty much every magazine featured in these books. They are all beautifully designed and often far from conventional in terms of layout and format. The Derek Birdsall book has been really useful on a more practical level, helping to inform my decisions on typefaces and image placement within a grid structure.

My favourite book on print design was not available in the library, so I went out and splashed £30 on it. I don't regret it for a minute!

I love everything published by Gestalten. All of their books are so nicely made and the content is well-chosen and totally inspirational. The other massive influence on my project is the brilliant Little White Lies magazine:

I have a subscription to this wonderful mag and eagerly await each issue that pops through my door every two months. I'm not particularly bothered about the actual movie reviews and news, it's all about the wonderful editorial design and stunning illustration. Each issue is themed to a specific film, with interview and features as well as the review itself. In this issue there is a brilliant photo feature whereby someone has photographed the scene of celebrity death crashes on the exact date and time of day that they occurred.

Another great thing about Little White Lies is that it just "feels" lovely. Its one of those magazines that you just have to stick your nose in and give a good sniff when you open it. The paper stock is heavy and uncoated which really adds to the perceived quality.

I think I will take this approach on my astronomy publication. The feel of the paper is really important to me. Also, I think I will go for a magazine-style instead of a book, which will give me the chance to play around with different layouts, treating each feature/article as a separate entity. Of course, the real skill is to make sure the whole things feels varied yet still consistent.

Publication Project - Primary Research Questionnaire

Here's the list of questions I sent to all members of Bath Astronomers:

1. How long have you been observing?
2. Do you consider yourself to be an observer, an imager or both?
3. Do you have any tips for new astronomers?
4. Any good observing anecdotes?
5. How far do you have to travel for a good, dark observing site?
6. What is the furthest distance you have travelled to observe/image?
7. What got you interested in astronomy?
8. What are your favourite astronomy magazines?
9. What are your favourite astronomy websites?
10. What are your favourite astronomy books?
11. How about software? (RegiStax, Stellarium, Celestia, etc)
12. Do you believe in extraterrestrial life?

In my experience most astronomers are very logical thinkers. Many of the members of Bath Astronomers work in engineering or for the MoD, so I am especially interested in their responses to the last question...

Publication Project - Astronomy

I have decided to do a book on amateur astronomy. I am not quite sure exactly what I am going to have in the book, so my plan is to interview some of the people I know through Bath Astronomers, perhaps go round and photograph their kit. It would be nice to go out on an observing session and get some shots of shifty silhouetted figures hunched over their telescopes. Won't be able to use a flash though, which could be problematic.

Publication Project - Initial Ideas

We've been set our final big project for year two. It's a publication on a "non-viable group or individual". Is anything non-viable these days? I mean a quick search on Amazon came up with these two:

How Carrots Won The Trojan War

How to Sharpen Pencils: A Practical & Theoretical Treatise on the Artisanal Craft of Pencil Sharpening for Writers, Artists, Contractors, Flange Turners, Anglesmiths, & Civil Servants

Seems anything goes these days, but I see where they are coming from. They want us to find something a bit quirky and then try to make something beautiful from it. My initial ideas regarding the subject of my book are as follows:

• Undertakers (we have some living opposite us)
• Typographers
• Steve Ricketts (maybe expand this to all Sion Hill technicians?)
• Astronomers
• Store greeters
• Pizza delivery drivers
• Taxi drivers (my dad and uncle)
• Ticket touts
• Homebrewers
• Chap on the turnstile at Bath City FC/Bath Rugby
• Local politicians *shudder*
• Door-to-door salesmen
• Pest controllers
• Dynorod
• Prostitutes
• Drug dealers
• Polish car washers
• Unemployed people
• Tapophiles (people who love cemeteries)
• Window cleaners
• Burlesque dancers
• Freemasons
• Mummers
• Roleplayers
• Transvestites
• Morris dancers

I think undertakers could be interesting, and my neighbours don't seem very creepy and are actually pretty friendly. However, I am not sure I have the mental strength to really investigate the subject of death. It's a shame because it is a great subject, and it's something most of us don't know much about. There is also a lot of unusual equipment involved, for preparing bodies etc. No, I really don't think I am up to the task.

Steve Ricketts would be a good one. Lots of my fellow students (and tutors) would benefit from a user manual for Steve in order to get their work printed. I don't want to take the piss though. Perhaps I should do something broader, something about all of the techies at Sion Hill. What would be great would be to have interesting facts about each one that are unrelated to their work - for instance Steve plays the accordian! Steve's page could be set in letterpress, as that is his speciality, and I could then do something similar with the others - the pages for Penny and Jane would be done as etchings or lino-cuts. Would be a lot of work but I think this could be a really nice book.

I am a member of Bath Astronomers and it would be nice to produce something about this strange nocturnal hobby. Our founder Dick Phillips died a few months ago, so it would be great to dedicate it to him. If the book is any good, perhaps our friends at The William Herschel Society could sell it in the museum shop.

Not sure what I could do with taxi drivers, although I do hear some great stories from my dad about the people he has picked up and the conversations he has had with them. Could be confidentiality issues though, especially with some of the celebs he has ferried around Bath.

I would love to do something about prositutes and/or drug dealers but they are probably not going to want to be photographed so let's forget that one (for now). Same applies to the Polish chaps at the many hand carwash places - I could approach them but language might be a problem, plus I wonder if some of them are illegal immigrants? Don't want to get them in trouble.

Freemasons are obviously very secretive, so I doubt I would get much from them. Shame as I would love to do something that really takes the piss out of them.

The "Mummers" are rather interesting. It's some weird pagan thing that seems to be related to Morris Dancing whereby they dress in outfits made of torn paper and act out a strange play in the streets on Boxing Day. It's been going on since the 12th century apparently and there are a group of them in nearby Marshfield.  Problem is that by Boxing Day I will have missed my deadline by about seven months! Damn. Maybe I will get some photos of them for a future project.

Roleplayers might be quite a good one to investigate. I know a group of forty-somethings who still have weekly gaming nights. Some of them even dress up as wizards or elves and the like when they play! I could just go along and observe, taking notes and photos. Not sure how I could make something good out of it though.

I was out in Bath with my partner a few weeks ago and, as we waited at the bar in Cosy Club, we noticed two rather tall "ladies" with rather large hands standing nearby. A few minutes later, a couple more came in and joined the first two. And then more. And more. At the last count there were thirteen transvestites in the bar - it was like some kind of tranny convention. What really interested me was the looks on the faces of the other patrons; the grins and the whispers behind hands. I would love to make a book about this. Perhaps I could follow the transvestites around the next time they meet and document the reactions. Not sure I will be able to find them again though.

Finally we get to Morris Dancers. I don't like Morris Dancers at all - they are beardy and weird. Not so Mr Wilkins' Shilling, a women's morris dance "side" from Batheaston. I didn't realise that women got involved in this. I thought they were too sensible for such nonsense! Maybe I should do something on them. Would be pretty cool to do it as an iPad app...