Magazine - Production

Design

The design process for the magazine was completed through the use if the Adobe Creative Suite as it allowed for content manipulation and consistent layouts throughout the full editorial. Adobe Illustrator was the main programme used for the design work as it uses vectors which means that the quality of the print will not be changed if enlarged in size. The typeface experiments took place using this software and then any effects such as overlaying or opacity changing was completed using Adobe Photoshop. The artwork for the front cover of the magazine was made using Adobe Photoshop, the different elements were cut out using the magnetic lasso tool and then the blending options were used in a variety of ways to create the final texture that will be used on the front cover. 

Print

The research into design magazines was based on those that were included in my essay and then looking on websites such as https://villagebooks.co to see the most common way that the magazines were bound. In terms of the binding method, I found that they were perfect bound and it seemed that methods such as stitching or stapling was for publications such as zines. The finish of the front covers were all of a paper stock varying from around 200gsm - 350gsm which is something that I would need to consider for the design of my magazine. The finish of most of the front covers were matte rather than glossy which seemed to be the big difference between a more mainstream magazine and a design editorial. If printed externally, this finish could be achieved through the use of matte lamination. The front cover would be printed onto silk paper and then the final process would be the matte lamination to give it the same aesthetic as those existing.

This research has informed my production process and made me realise that to achieve the standard of finish that I am hoping for I will need to use the service of an external printing company. The number of pages in my magazine would mean that perfect binding with the university resources would be possible, but there is a high chance that the pages with time will come out of the spine. In order to achieve the matte lamination of the front cover this will have to be done externally as well, so if in industry an outside company would be sent the finalised designs to then produce the magazine. 

The research then continued onto to finding the printing company to use for the magazine. I decided to choose one based on a  recommendation from another design student as it allowed me to feel confident that the final outcome will be of a high quality and be delivered on time. The printing time externally is much longer than if I was to print within University, so taking this into consideration I had to plan my design time well so that I could do a full set of developments and run a prototype print of the magazine before it needed to be sent for print. 

Print deadline: Friday 7th December 

The one complication of printing externally is that each printing company has individual guidelines on how they want the pages to be uploaded. I used the instructions on the website to set the Adobe Indesign document for print. The pdf had to be in the format of {PDF/X-1a:2001} (modified) which is something different to what I had previously exported a pdf as. The bleed needed to be set to 3mm for any full bleed page and the crop marks needed to also be included on the pdf so that the magazine could be accurately cut to the correct size. 

Complications

A problem with ordering online is that you do not have the personal service or contact available if there are any confusions or complications. I had a lot of trust in this company as others had recommended it to me for the quick service and high quality printing service. To receive an email after the hours that the office was open to say that there was a complication with my order and that they would not be able to meet the deadline of my printing was very much a shock. I had very closely followed all of the uploading guidelines to ensure that there were no problems with the printing of the magazine. 

I had to start thinking of other places to get it printed within the now very short time frame before the final hand in. I found a number of different printing places in Leeds and London that I could contact in the morning if things did not go well with this company. 

I called at 8am the next morning to find out what the problem was and the man I spoke to could not understand why I had been sent this email. It was because the content within does not all read from top to bottom as it is a design magazine and perhaps a bit more experimental than they are used to. The problem was resolved and I was sent the magazine the next day. In order to prevent this in the future, I will call the company after I have uploaded the files just to ensure that they are accurate and that there will not be any problems when it comes to printing. 

Outcome:
I am happy with the outcome and it is of a high quality.