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publishing on demand

Your Stories… So Far

To coincide with our recent price reductions for A6 Short Run printed books, and lower minimum print run of just 25 copies, we are offering 50 books for the price of 25 for anyone wanting to make and print their own pocket portfolio, using the discount code “PORTFOLIO2012″.

Giles showcased two great examples of bookleteer portfolios in an earlier post; here’s another.

The unique and much-loved theatre company Cartoon de Salvo (currently enjoying major acclaim after their recent shows Made Up at the Soho Theatre and The Irish Giant at Southwark Playhouse) used bookleteer to create The Stories So Far, an ebook of photos celebrating their production history:

They’ve also used bookleteer to document their Hard Hearted Hannah series of improvised stage stories, which you can read on Diffusion here.

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news

Publish & Print On Demand – October’s eBooks

October saw a combo of eBooks created with bookleteer and printed using our Short Run Printing Service – ‘Picnic: Order, Ambiguity and Community’ and ‘Sites and Strategies’.

‘Picnic: Order, Ambiguity and Community’ by Kevin Harris, an author and community development commentator, and Gemma Orton, an artist, is an illustrated essay focusing on the relationship between food and social interaction, particularly on that “wobbly combination of conviviality and disorder” – the picnic. Using the A5 landscape to great effect, Kevin has placed footnotes and references alongside the text, interspersed with Gemma’s lovely images.

Fifty limited edition copies, complete with special signed wrappers, will be sold in aid of the homeless charity Crisis at the publication launch on the 14th November, at the Wellcome Trust Gallery. Register for tickets here.

‘Sites and Strategies’ by Gair Dunlop, a visual artist, is a portfolio of select artworks created between 2003 and 2011. A document of his numerous sculpture, media and installation pieces, as well as his approach, it can distributed fluidly both in print, through galleries and art festivals, and online, through the digital bookreader version (below), acting as perfect companion text to Gair’s work.

You can also download, print and make it for yourself on Diffusion here.

Categories
sharing

Out with the old, in with the iPad

As I have mentioned in my previous posts, I like a portfolio which can be hand-held, something I can touch and feel. However I do agree that online portfolios are essential due to its accessibility and sharable factor, as well as the digital side too, including motion – videos, films and so on. So when I came across an article about my recent discovery I was over the moon that someone has created a mixture of online and hand-held portfolios! How, I hear you ask? Simple, the iPad. In my eyes, the 9.5 inch by 7.31 inch tablet has seemingly revolutionised portfolios.

D.Currier’s article I found on ‘A Portfolio Book for the 21st Century’ talks about something which I have not seen before and is a concept binding the online world and ‘real life’ together perfectly! Sean Busher created a portfolio where an iPad has been embedded into the actual portfolio itself, which not only sounds weird and wonderful but looks great too!

Busher has not only embedded an iPad into this rectangular box, but he also created an app showing only his work and the app is the only item on the iPad. I think the motion on the iPad along with the imagery in the portfolio book compliment each other really well and brings his work to life. As the article mentions, this is a fantastic way for artists who are showcasing their work which include both still work and motion. I also love the colour – the bright zingy orange in contrast to the black works well! Along with its ability to also be shipped due to the structure of the box, this really is ‘a portfolio book for the 21st century.’

Jesse Rieser has also used this concept of bringing print and digital together through the use of an iPad and a portfolio book. What I like about Rieser’s portfolio, apart from the iPad, is the colour scheme applied to different categories of his work, which continues on his website too. The pocket inside the portfolio book which securely hold his business cards is a nifty little touch too!

I’m glad I’ve finally found a portfolio which has the best of both worlds, print and digital, a concept which will definitely make portfolios more interactive and creative.

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inspiration

My visit to Central Saint Martins College

I visited the Central Saint Martins Fashion and Photography Degree Show last night, down over on Charing Cross Road , and I must say what an experience! I have never been to anything like this before so I was really excited to see what was waiting for me.

Firstly I was taken back by the building itself – the dark, old, worn out exterior didn’t reflect the inside. Even though I was also surprised by the interior, the decor behind the exhibition itself, I was very inspired by what I saw and knew I was in the midst of something quite special, especially being in the same space which elevated Alexander McQueen and the likes of Stella McCartney, Zac Posen, Paul Smith and Hamish Bowles – editor at large at Vogue (wow!!!). Knowing this was where such influential people in fashion studied, created such fantastic pieces and walked the same corridors, touched me in a very special way.

As I wondered around the different rooms of fashion filled creative-ness, I was in awe of not only of the clothes made but also student’s portfolios, filled with drawings and sketches and images of pieces that had been made. Each portfolio was different to the next, not just in content but in the way they were presented. Most were the usual look book formats. However some were A3 size, some smaller, some portrait, some landscape. Some were made from different materials. One portfolio which stood and seem dominant over the others was the one made from metal – quite harsh and edgy.

I enjoyed flicking through the portfolios. I was fascinated by the ideas, from initial sketches and drawings to photographs of completed pieces. I can only imagine the hectic process this must have been. Looking at the empty studios as I wandered from one room to the next reflected this, with mannequins scattered around, strands of material on the tables and floor  – a last minute rush of madness it seemed. This was in stark contrast to the exhibition rooms where strange yet beautiful pieces of clothing hung from the ceiling, quite peacefully, wanting to be adorned by exhibitors, portfolios scattered around the sides of the rooms, as well as students themselves, finally getting a chance to relax and enjoy their work. This compared to maybe a few weeks ago, where the environment would have probably been very different!

I left not only feeling inspired but mesmerised by what I saw and the highly fuelled creative atmosphere I had left, back into the normality of the ‘real world.’

Categories
inspiration

‘Design-tacular’ Portfolio

Even though I prefer the idea of a ‘real life’ portfolio – one which I can have in my hands and flick through glossy colourful pages one after another, I have come across on online portfolio, which I think is fantastic! The most appealing part for me is the hand drawn illustration by Jesse Willmon.

Willmon combined his trade of web designing with his love for comics and goes on to talk about the reason behind this design of the portfolio/website was on purpose to make people feel more relaxed, compared to the usual computer tech savvy designs. Therefore to get the comic effect Willmon loved so much he actually hand drew every page of the portfolio / website and scanned them in!

The front page is very different and unique, with various illustrations scattered across the page of work he has done. It makes me want to click on all the different illustrations and see where it will take me. I particularly like ‘I made a paper toy download and print’ and ‘I designed a fancy Doctor Who set check it out’ illustration. As you scroll across each illustration, it transforms from a pencil like grey to a pop of colour bringing the image to life.

However the front page was only the beginning of all the magical illustrations that were yet to be discovered. Once I clicked on the ‘new illustrations check them out’ drawing, I was (gladly) drawn to the text ‘Wild Animals, Dressed as Farm Animals’ and clicked onto it straight away. To my amusement I came across a whole bunch of hilarious drawings of, what simply was’ wild animals, dressed as farm animals.’ My favourites are the ‘pigorilla’ the ‘snorse’ and the ‘bunnligator.’ Bizarre yet hilarious. Take a look here and see what delightful distorted animal is your favourite!

Categories
inspiration

Showtime

Upon my search for creative portfolios, I came across the ‘showreel’ portfolio concept. I think this is a great way for creative minds to show off their work in a digital format.

I like the idea of bringing a portfolio to life this way, and with the addition of music, it’s really different to other portfolios I have come across. However I feel the only downside is that it’s not tangible. Even though someone can watch it with ease and experience something different, I don’t think it’s the same as having something in person.

Take a look here. There are numerous examples of what people have created. I enjoyed watching the Wes Kendel Reel 2009 showreel.

Categories
sharing

Soap Box

Upon my search for weird and wonderful publishing methods for portfolios, I came across this very imaginative concept. I feel like in order to be noticed you need to stand out in the crowd, especially with portfolios and Nicholas Wilson’s portfolio hits the nail on the head!

Wilson created ‘An Interactive Hand Made Package‘ known as the ‘Soap Box.’ I think his idea here is genius. Firstly, I like the fact that it’s handmade using recycled cardboard and wood. Not only was the box handmade but he also hand bound and stitched the portfolio too! For the printed materials he used the old printing method known as Letterpress. This method of printing, whereby a raised surface is inked and then pressed onto a sheet of paper, was invented in the 15th century and was the traditional form of printing right up until the 19th century. This printing process was widely used for books up until the mid 20th century.

The idea of the Soap Box was to create an item which the recipient could actually be apart of and the way Wilson did that was by recording his voice inside the Box, as the portfolio.

I think this is a perfect example of how, even though technology has expanded immensely since the 15th century , you can still stick to the basics and create a fantastic and unique portfolio, compared to if your were to print or create it online.