Publication Design Annual
It is not what I expected. The book starts with a two page introduction where the author expose his point of view on how publication design is constantly changing. Then another brief paragraph to introduce us to every topic and on the next pages there’s nothing but images with samples with no explanation of the purpose of the publication, or how the creative director solved the problem. The book doesn’t give you any insight of the projects displayed in it. In other words, the book is nothing but pretty images with no explanation (other than the creative group and the page number). I was really disappointed because I have seen better publications from Supon Group like “Breaking the Rules in Graphic Design”, but “Breaking the Rules in Publication Desing” is really bad.
Rating: 1 / 5
Can you briefly walk us through the process of putting a RS edition together?
RWA sponsors and markets the publication to the membership. I, in turn, work directly with each author from start to finish, handling the registration process, billing, design, proofing, and finally, overseeing the printing and mailing. It is a daunting process, but I must admit, I love every moment working with these authors.
Once the previous issue is released, I update the registration information on my site. Authors, p/r agents, publishers, and publicists can then go to www.corncreative.com to register ads for the next issue. The process is actually quite simple—the form is filled out, the copy and artwork is e-mailed directly to my office, and payment can be made by check or via PayPal. I am always accessible to answer and assist at any stage of the process.
Once the deadline is reached, I begin the design process. While I design each ad, my sons join in helping by organizing all of the paperwork and creating a spreadsheet of the advertisers’ information. This takes a full 60-hour week. Stephani Fry, my liaison with RWA provides me with the articles that are to be placed. It is always a puzzle fitting everything within the confines of eight-or 16-page signatures. So, the number of ads dictates the number of pages allotted for articles. When all the ads are designed, I create pdf’s of each and send proofs to the advertisers for their review. I make all requested changes, Steph proofs the articles, and I proof the issue in its entirety once more. The issue is then ready to send to the printer. I collect the files, fonts, artwork and such and upload that data to the printer. I check the printer’s proof and then it’s off to press and then to the mail house for distribution.
At that point, I take a deep breath after spending more than 120 hours on the publication, and pour a glass of wine grateful for another issue under my belt.
And a few fun questions:
You do work for other organizations as well. How has Corn Creative grown since its inception?
I started my business in 1989. Wow, that dates me. I was living in the Washington, D.C. metro area. My clients primarily were in the bio-tech industry. Society for Neuroscience was my first big client. Can you imagine, they had 20,000 attending their conferences. This spread to more association work. So, when I moved to Houston in 1996, I was primed to work with RWA.
I thought it would be exciting to see if I could grow my studio into an advertising agency, and for a short time I had a partner and several designers. But I realized I was not able to remain in the thick of the design process and missed having the close connection with each of my clients, so I chose to return to being a small boutique studio, hiring designers project by project when needed. My main focus remains working with authors, though I do work with local restaurants, law firms, galleries, and musicians as well.
You’ve recently returned from a work trip to Africa! Can you share a bit about your experience there and why it was a dream come true?
Wed, 24 Mar 2010 23:03:50 +0000 |
Duree Designs
