Monday, November 6, 2017

WYS - IDENTITY - CONTEXTUAL RESEARCH

We both have a very good idea of how we want to represent ourselves as an independent publishers/brand, I have undertaken research looking into self-publishing houses from around the world and also looking at other relevant identities for studios that of relevance to WYS.

I will be looking at how a range of publishers present themselves both online (digital design) and off (print-based design). As the majority of what WYS is about publishing, I will be mostly looking at publishing houses identities as well as the work that they produce as this plays a key role in the overall look of the brand. 


Actual Source - https://actualsource.org/collections


Actual Source describes itself as a “multi-format publisher” which encompasses what they produce, but not the extent of it. It collaborates with a wealth of creatives whether they be artists, designers or writers. 

Actual Source has many representations. It is a physical shop promoting the works of contemporary artists from furniture to publications. Its online platform releases limited edition fonts and collaborates with artists, coming together in a biannual publication, Shoplifters.  




SP-GD - http://www.sp-gd.com

SP-DG is a graphic design and visual communication studio based in Melbourne. Their simple yet aesthetic and functional approach to briefs allows them to produce very relevant solutions for there clients.  

Their identity is very much like their style of working, very simple but it has been thought out very well and they have achieved a very good identity that really attracts the right sort of clients, this is important to remember when designing for WYS as we need to make the business appeal to a wide range of creative people which could be a struggle as aesthetic means a lot in the design world today.






Catalogue - http://www.thisiscatalogue.co.uk/

Catalogue is a creative practice established in 2011 by Oliver Shaw and Tom Pratt operating between the UK and New York, working internationally. We specialise in 
graphic design, web design/development, art direction, visual identity systems, books
and magazines in the commercial and cultural sectors.

Their overall design is very simple, they use this black and white logotype which works well as an overall aesthetic design studio. Becuase they work mainly as a publisher which is producing a lot of different styles of work it allows them to add their mark very subtly to work they are producing. Keeping an identity this simple also allows for them to create a wide range of collateral for the business which not only includes editions of books but t-shirts, totes and other miscellaneous items as part of the brand. 












Back Catalogue - http://backcatalogue.co.uk/articles/

Back Catalogue is an online research output created by Catalogue design. It showcases work that they are finding particular engaging in their graphic design field, which it has resulted in a large archive of contemporary design mainly focusing on editorial, a lot of the work is very unique and tends to have a very stylistic vision. 

The archive has been a good resource for myself when researching has it has been able to show me a lot of designers and other "bookmakers" that are producing cutting-edge contemporary design. Since finding this recourse it has been the perfect place to come to find inspiration. 




Kiosk - http://k-i-o-s-k.com/

Kiosk is a London based independent publisher with a focus on self-published zines & artist books from young creatives. It is a platform designed to give a voice to emerging artists, illustrators, designers by promoting their work and collaborating with them to produce publications.

The overall white on black aesthetic helps to keep the site very simple which helps to draw the viewer further is as they have to look at what has been done well which also shows the attention to detail the Kiosk have within their work. This style of identity works well for publishers as it shows that their work can be anything and they aren't limited to one style. 
They are showcasing their work is a straightforward way which I think makes it very easy to get an understanding of what type of work Kiosk is about and this helps them to attract appropriate work. 





(Blog)


 PALM* Studios - https://palmstudios.co.uk/

Palm* Studios is a London based publisher.

They showcase photographers and artists through creative projects, online features, exhibitions and events.






Ditto - http://www.ditto-london.com/





Antenne Books - https://www.antennebooks.com/








AINT - BAD - https://www.aint-bad.com






Clandestine Books - http://www.mannnu.com/






OURPLACE Studio - http://ourplace.studio/







When researching I have been looking at two particular things, first of all, the overall style of the studios and publishers, how do they present themselves online and to their audience this will be the main place where people will come to look at who we are and the work we are producing this will then help to attract more people to our work. As well as this I am also looking at how each studio and publisher writes about themselves as it is very important for us to have a clear and easy to understand "About" so by looking at how others write about their practice this is giving me a better understanding of how to present the idea in a business-savvy way and making the business sound more professional and less of a student project.  

Studios, publishers and other useful links that I have helped increase my knowledge of the independent publishing industry. 


IDEA - http://www.ideanow.online/
Slanted - https://www.slanted.de/
In Other Words - http://in-other-words.co.uk/#books
Montez Press - http://montezpress.com/
Offline Press - http://offlinepress.org/
tria - http://www.tria.ch/
The Everyday Press - http://www.theeverydaypress.net/#1
Yard Press - http://www.yardpress.it/
Mousse Publishing - https://www.moussepublishing.com/
Same Paper - http://samepaper.com/
Heese Press - http://hessepresse.com/
Loose Joints - http://loosejoints.biz/
MER. Paper Kunsthalle - http://www.merpaperkunsthalle.org/
Nieves - https://www.nieves.ch/
Snoar Press - https://snoar.press/
Heresy - https://www.heresy.london/
Studio Operative - http://studio-operative.co.uk/
Cultural Traffic Fair - http://culturaltraffic.com/
Printed Matter - https://www.printedmatter.org
Hato Press - http://hatopress.net/ 
ALL-IN - https://all-in-studio.com/
Heavy Time - https://www.heavytime.com/
Publshing as (part-time) practice - http://www.publishingasparttimepractice.se/
Folder Studio - https://folder.studio.com
London Books Arts - https://londonbookarts.org/

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