Publishing Design Task 1: Exercises

Publishing Design Task 1:Exercise

Siam Siew Yong 0358399
Bachelor of Design in Creative Media | Taylor’s Design School | Taylor’s University

List of content

Instruction

Module information

Assignment Brief

Lectures

All the lecture videos has posted on Teams.

Lecture 1: Format

While “publishing” is a broad field that includes everything from newspapers to fashion magazines, this course focuses specifically on books. A book is more than just a physical object—it is a medium created to preserve, organize, and share human knowledge, stories, and records across time.

Designing a book requires more than creativity alone. A designer needs both technical skills and strategic thinking. On the technical side, this includes understanding typography, mastering the use of white space, and becoming familiar with publishing software. On the strategic side, every design decision matters. The size of the book, the choice of paper, and the type of binding are all influenced by the target audience and the purpose of the content.

The history of publishing also shows how closely design and technology are connected.

As civilizations developed new tools and materials, the way humans recorded information changed as well.

In Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley, early writing systems were first used mainly for counting and record-keeping. Simple clay tokens eventually evolved into Cuneiform, a wedge-shaped writing system pressed into soft clay tablets.
In South Asia, especially in Nepal and nearby regions, palm leaf manuscripts became a common way to record texts as early as 800 BC.
In Egypt, writing was considered a prestigious skill practiced mainly by scribes, who recorded hieroglyphics on papyrus and temple or tomb walls.
In China, before the invention of paper, people wrote on thin bamboo strips tied together with string. These strips could be folded or rolled, creating an early form of portable document.
Printing technology later transformed the spread of knowledge. The oldest surviving printed book is believed to come from China during the Tang Dynasty.
Early printing relied on woodblocks, where each page had to be carved by hand in reverse—a process that was extremely time-consuming. This method remained common until movable type was introduced in China and later improved in Korea, making printing faster and more efficient.

The materials used for books also evolved over time. In Turkey and parts of Europe, parchment made from animal skin became popular because of its durability, although it was too thick to roll into scrolls easily. Eventually, paper-making technology spread from China through the Middle East and into Europe. By the 1860s, wood pulp paper became widely used, forming the basis of most modern paper production today.

fig 1.1 history of printing

Lecture 2: History of Print

1. 2nd - 8th century AD

The Chinese created an early way to copy texts before the invention of printing. Confucian texts were carved onto stone tablets, and scholars placed paper over the surface and rubbed charcoal or ink on top. The carved letters stayed white while the background turned black, creating a copy of the text. This method worked like an early form of photocopying.

fig 1.2 classics of Confucianism carved in stone

2. Korea and Japan AD 750-768

Korea & Japan: Korea was a massive pioneer in early printing. By AD 750, they were printing on single sheets of paper.
Shortly after, Japan’s Empress commissioned the Hyakumantō Darani—tiny prayer scrolls tucked into lucky charms, marking the earliest woodblock printing in Japan.

3. First printed book AD 868

The Diamond Sutra: This is a major milestone. Printed in AD 868, it’s a 16-foot-long scroll made of glued sheets. It’s famous for being the first book to include a printed illustration.

fig 1.3 The Diamond Sutra

4. The Move to Movable Type (10th – 14th Century)

Carving an entire wooden block for every page was slow and inefficient. To solve this problem, movable type was introduced, allowing individual characters to be rearranged and reused.
The Bronze Breakthrough: China first experimented with movable type made from clay and pottery. Later, Korea improved the technology around 1380 by creating bronze movable type, which was stronger and more durable for repeated use.
In 1443, Korea introduced its own alphabet to simplify reading and printing. Compared to Chinese characters, the new writing system was easier to learn and reproduce.

5. The Western Revolution (AD 1400 – 1457)

In 1400s, woodblock printing had spread to Europe and was mainly used for religious images and playing cards. Printing changed greatly after Johannes Gutenberg developed the movable-type printing press in the 1440s.
Gutenberg’s innovation was not only the printing press itself, but also his ability to produce precise metal letters efficiently. His invention made book production faster, cheaper, and more accessible, helping spread knowledge and ideas throughout Europe.

fig 1.4 Gutenberg’s Press

Lecture 3: Typo Redux

Exercises

In week 1, we did two physical exercises in class.

The first is mock-up exercise.

The second one is signature exercise.

Exercise 1- Text-formatting

We required to complete our 3k words writing before week 2. We need to follow the template given by Mr Vinod. I decided my topic, which about childhood memories and want to find back...

fig 1.5 my 3k word in format

After completing my writing, I began highlighting the sentences I wanted to turn into visuals. In total, we needed to create 16 visuals for the book.

The continue progress in Task 2<<

Exercise 2:Mock-up exercise

fig 1.6 exercise 1 book mock-up

fig 1.7 size I choose

For the mock-up exercise, we use A3 paper, folded and cut it to A4 size paper. After that, we can decide the size of the book that must within A4 to A5. I pointed out the size of A5, adjusted the best size of my book and cut it out.

The size of my book is 16.3cm x 23cm.

I used 8 pcs of A3 paper + 1 pcs of thicker A3 paper(cover) to make my book.

fig 1.8 pages material I used (70 gsm)

fig 1.9 cover material I used (130 gsm)

After cutting the size of papers, I bound them by stapler.

Here's my final output.

fig 1.10 book open (1)

fig 1.11 book open (2)

fig 1.12 flip through the book(video)

Exercise 3: Signature exercise

Before we doing the second exercise, we knew that every book has signatures and every signatures consists of many spreads that are folded together. That's one large piece of paper folded three times to make a signature of 16 pages.

fig 1.13 signature exercise

fig 1.14 signature exercise

fig 1.15 stapler the paper

fig 1.16 flip through the book (video)

After we folded the A3 paper, I wrote the number in each pages. We totally have 16 pages. After that, I folded a new paper again. I bound the book by using stapler. I trimmed off to make sure the book can open smoothly.

Exercise 4- Classical Grid System

Moving on to exercise 4, we need to create a Van de Graff on a piece of A3 paper. The physical one I did it at home. We have did the digital Van de Graff layout in Indesign. I used the size I chosen for my book, and follow the tutorial by Mr Vinod.

fig 1.17 Van de graff physical exercise

We did the digital one in class. And I used the size that I decide in exercise 2.

Width: 16.3cm

Height: 23cm

Margin: Top-2.58cm, Bottom-5.2cm, Inside-1.82cm, Outside-3.7cm

fig 1.18 the margin

fig 1.19 Digital Van de Graff layout

I found it easier to create the Van de Graff layout digitally in InDesign because it provides a straight-line tool. I completed the Van de Graff structure first, then adjusted the margins to fit it. After that, I added some part of my 3000 words within the column area.

The text I use: Charter font family

Size of text: 11 pt

Leading: 14 pt

fig 1.20 text in column

fig 1.21 text in column

I noticed there were some empty gaps on the pages, so I added subtext and pull quotes to fill the space and improve the layout.

Subtext font size: 10 pt

Leading of subtext: 15 pt

Pullquote font size: 35 pt

Leading of pullquote: 38 pt

fig 1.22 adding pullquote and subtexts

fig 1.23 adding subtexts

fig 1.24 adding pullquote

Here's the clear version of my text with subtexts and pullquote.

fig 1.25 exercise 4 without guideline in pdf

After it was reviewed by Mr. Vinod, he asked me to add a headline before the next class. He also mentioned that we should keep one margin based on the Van de Graaff layout, so I just added the headline without changing the position of other text.

fig 1.26 adding the headline

fig 1.27 adding the headline without guideline(pdf)

After that, I also added some image on the pages, and adjusted the new layout.

fig 1.28 adding images without guideline(pdf)

Feedback

Week 1

General Feedback: After briefing of assignment by Mr Vinod, we understand what we need to do in this module.

We did some physical exercises and Indesign exercises to strengthen our understanding of publishing

Specific Feedback: -

Week 2

General Feedback: Make sure u all complete all the mock-up exercise stated in assignment brief-Task 1 section.

Specific feedback: Ur layout looks ok already even without the headline, so try to add ur headline before next class. Since u have done ur 3000 words writing,u can start to create 16 visuals for ur book.

Reflection

Experience:

Over the past two weeks, I explored both the history and practical side of book design. We learned how publishing evolved from ancient writing systems such as Mesopotamian clay tablets, Chinese woodblock printing, and Gutenberg’s printing press. It was interesting to discover that modern “scrolling” on digital devices actually connects back to ancient scroll formats like the Diamond Sutra.

For the practical exercises, I created a physical book mock-up measuring 16.3 cm × 23 cm using 70 gsm paper for the pages and 130 gsm paper for the cover. Drawing the physical Van De Graf was a little bit challenging for me bcs the measurements and proportions needed to be very precise. However, creating the layout digitally in InDesign was much more enjoyable, as it allowed me to experiment with the grid system more easily and understand how the composition works in a cleaner and more flexible way.

Observation:

During the signature exercise, I realized how important the physical structure of a book is in design. If the folds and trims are not planned carefully, the inner pages begin to shift outward, affecting the margins and alignment.

This understanding became even clearer during the Van de Graaff layout exercise in InDesign. The grid proportions, especially the larger bottom margin, created a professional and comfortable reading experience. Even without images, the empty space felt purposeful rather than empty.

I also noticed how design elements such as pull quotes and subheadings helped improve the flow of a long 3,000-word essay. These elements made the content feel more engaging and professional instead of looking like a typical academic report.

Findings:

I’ve learned that book design is a balance between technical structure and visual storytelling. The Van de Graaff grid system helped guide the reader’s eye and created a clean, readable layout. I also revised typography module which I learned in semester 1 such as keeping around 45–55-65 characters per line, using suitable leading, and adjusting kerning carefully for better readability.

Adding headlines and pull quotes improved the hierarchy and made the pages more engaging. Besides visual layout, I also realized that physical details matter a lot in book design. Choosing paper weight, trimming signatures, and considering how the book feels in hand are just as important as how it looks on screen.

Siam Siew Yong (0358399)

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