Today I decided to work on an impromptu composition based on a ten-column grid. The imagery I was not so worried about or at least not initially. I mainly wanted to construct a grid and practice designing specifically around that grid. First things first, I opened InDesign and opened a new document just using the preset default page and margin sizes. Next, I made the modular document grid viewable and then set uniform columns (by going to Layout>Margins and Columns…), then placed random shapes along the grid lines within the columns. This created the view below:

Shapes placed on modular grid

With the shapes in place on the modular grid, I traced lines over the grid only where the shapes touched a grid line. At this point I turned off the document grid and was left with the picture below.

Keep the lines that the shapes touch.

Furthermore, I deleted the shapes from the document and was left with only the custom grid lines. This is my new grid:

Here is the new grid.

Next, I decided to add text that matched the asymmetrical dynamics of the new grid lines.  There are five levels of hierarchy here, one for the title, one for the subtitle, an italic style and leading difference for the introduction, another size difference for the main text on the right hand page, and a size and typeface change for the captions.

Add textual hierarchy.

And finally, I added color and imagery. The addition of color and imagery at this stage of the design also adds a message to the composition. I decided to make this page about Tropical Birds since I had some images of birds on file. The title and subtitle may not be very accurate since I just made something up for the sake of filling space! But still, the message is believable that this page is now about birds; a pamphlet or a brochure perhaps?

Here is the finished layout.

This turned out to be a very successful exercise in my opinion. I have a renewed and reinvigorated love for grids now. Thinking back on how this practice began, it is kind of interesting that an entire layout could be constructed around the placement of a few seemingly unrelated rectangles.

•••

Pictures 1 & 2:  Some of the preparatory materials you will need are pins, scissors, an iron and ironing board, thread (and a sewing machine if you have one handy), a cup of bleach, a plastic bag, a piece of cardboard and a paintbrush.

Pins

a brush, a test strip of fabric and bleach

Picture 3: Cut your fabrics to the proper measure for your bag and arrange them in a way that is  most handy to your workflow. Iron out the fabric wrinkles and set the fabric pieces aside for now.

material, scissors, iron

Picture 4: Next, prepare your table for the bleaching process. Place a piece of cardboard on top of a plastic bag. The cardboard provides a flat painting surface and the plastic bag protects the table from any accidental bleach drips.

cardboard over plastic bag

Picture 5 & 6: Now arrange your bleach and brush and paint your design on the front side of the fabric panel. Since I like books (making them and reading them) I chose to paint “(heart)s books.” It may take a few coats to get the desired effect. Wait for the bleach to dry completely before continuing to work on this part of the project.

lay material onto cardboard and prepare the bleach and brush

brush in your message

Picture 7. While your design is drying, it would be a good time to work on the straps for the bag. Iron them flat and sew one side together length-wise; I used a zig-zag stitch.

iron one or two straps flat

Picture 8. When your design is finished drying, pin it to the material you chose for your lining. Do this for the piece of fabric that is to be the back of the bag as well. Sew the two panels together and add the straps.

pin panel with design onto lining fabric

Picture 9. Here is what my finished bag looks like. Not to bad for a novice, wacky seams though.

sew parts together

Bonus: while waiting for the bleach design to dry, I made this little tiny bag with a button closure. Another cool little bag in which to carry cool little books.

bonus book bag

Mixed paper notebooks by immixstore on Etsy.

In January of 2011 I posted a do-it-yourself tutorial on how to create your own saddle-stitched notebooks. That project turned out to be very relevant since I tend to write down everything. I admit that in a smart phone era, I am out-of-date. I do not have a smart phone and rather prefer it that way. My calendar has actual pages and I use an actual pen to write dates down onto it. It is as simple and delightful as it sounds. So the thought of making my own notebooks from loose leaf sheets of paper appealed to me. I have decided to start making these kinds of books (they are actually blank journals) for other people. The pages come from purchased, found, recycled and repurposed papers. The intent behind these journals is to share the appeal (and to encourage thoughts and doodles). Each notebook is a mix of subtle and interesting pages and have about 50 pages each. Check out my store on etsy and contact me there if you are interested in purchasing one.

shutter speed 1/25, aperture 2.2, ISO 800.

The first three photographs posted here have identical settings. That was not intentional, I was just on a roll. Here I tried to capture a rim light on my subject. I figured that a faster shutter speed and lower aperture number would allow enough light in for crisp highlights (that’s my try at technical speak).

shutter speed 1/25, aperture 2.2, iso 800.

Photo two has even more highlight on subject detail, but even so keeping the amount of light used to a minimum. An iso higher than 800 let to over exposure.

shutter speed 1/10, aperture 2.2, iso 3200.

Another rim light. Slower shutter speed, higher iso, and smaller aperture let to gray shadows instead of black. That, and shooting almost directly into the light source.

• • •

The night was a success. Not all of the photos turned out perfectly (actually none of them are perfect) but what resulted is more deliberate than just pressing the shutter button and hoping for the cool.  I may be developing a much needed technical photography sensibility. That is my hope. More night shooting for practice is in order.

Designing at home on vimeo
Board game on vimeo
Sacramento Launch Festival 2011

Spending a day at the cafe and I brought some work with me.