OUGD406 - SB2 - Catalogue Research and Initial Ideas

OUGD406 - SB2 - Catalogue Research and Initial Ideas

In utilising the Haynes Car Manuals as visual inspiration for the Phonic Depot catalogues in order to retain the idea that everything in the exhibit could be found in a garage, the only elements of design that have been informed are the cover, which will use the same layout and substitute a cassette for a car and also the size of the catalogue which will be b5, this means its smaller and handheld but has more space for content than a5 would. 

A really good research point was designer Virgile Flores editorial work for Pirelli tyres; the monochrome typographical spreads suggest speed and movement incredibly succinctly through the manipulation of type and layout, making the pages coherent with the subject of the publication. The brand identity is also established and suggested very well by horizontally extending letterforms like the P in the Pirelli logotype. Although the Phonic Depot catalogue will take inspiration from a car manual, it shouldn’t suggest movement and speed, more so the intricate mechanical qualities of the Haynes Manual. This will be achieved through the use of diagrams and photographs of cassette tapes. It could also suggest auditory experience and music to some extent.

Subject to some of the design ideas put in place when brainstorming, these initial catalogue layouts utilise a grid system based off of brick patterns, in keeping with the garage theme. The white space and monochrome colour palette keep the design minimal, allowing for the robust yet unusual arrangement of the type in the brick grid system to be more prominent in the visual hierarchy. A combination of outlined and filled typography aligned both vertically and horizontally mimics the mechanic visual motifs put in place by the zoomed in shots of cassettes, linking back to the garage theme and the contrast between the balanced and blocky Compacta black and the light scriptive Brush Script echo the ideas of hybrids and combinations, almost like a visual micro-genre. Brush Script is lively and expressive enough that it could almost suggest auditory experience. 

Practical Considerations

• In order to increase the visual value of the catalogue by adding in more images and type in arrangement on the brick grid system, each genre which has multiple people doing work for it could inhabit a double page spread within the catalogue, for example Neo-Soul which is being done by 4 people. 
• There was slight confusion over whether everyone would be doing short rationales, however now that it is evident they are, the blockier type arrangement with more body text seen on the Neo-soul spread will be utilised, with the other arrangements of name, genre and instagram handle in long lines able to transfer to the contents.
• Order - the different options were to either do this alphabetically, by genre or by position in the exhibit. With position of the exhibit subject to change when realistically setting up and genre being difficult/time consuming to actually define and order, an alphabetical order seemed the most logical. This way when there is a spread of multiple people who have done the same genre, it still fits rationally within the order.