Book content ideas (OUGD404)

The next task was to come up with a solid idea of what content to include in my book, I have to consider that it needs to show my knowledge of setting type and bookbinding. I will also need to consider my time scale and that it will be much easier to re-set already written type then it will be to generate my own content. I created a list of all my initial content ideas.

• My first idea was to re typeset an erotic story in a modernist way. To create something erotic to graphic designers also. 
• My next idea was a cook book - but in the crit it was pointed out this could be difficult as food photography is notoriously difficult and it wouldn't have much body type to work with.
• My next idea was to reset alice in wonderland. Starting in modernist layout then as she falls down the rabbit hole it turns postmodernist.
• Next to create a square format book all about square format.
• Next idea was to create a cocktail book starting in perfectly set modernist style and slowly looking more drunk and postmodern as the book goes on.

My final idea is the one I have chosen to take forward as my final idea. The idea is to create a book about conspiracy theories but have it as a secret book. I will choose 3 or four theories and each one will be hidden in a different way. My ideas so far are...

• Braille type - using embossing
• Glow in the dark or uv light ink
• Swapping the first and last letter in each word
• Having acetate pages overlaying each other
• Hidden compartments within the binding of the book
• Using dingbats - Carson inspired
• Having a maze book, the paragraphs mixed up on different pages, it could be colour coded for each story possibly.

The idea was informed by this design by David Carson. He didn't like the interview he was given for a spread in raygun so he used dingbats which are illegible to most people. I like the idea of playing with legibility especially seen as it is relevant to the secretive nature of the content of my book. When I presented my idea in the crit one thing that was said was I would still need to typeset my text well if I was going with this idea as Carson still did even though it couldn't be read. Making my book hard to read is a postmodernist principle as its not considering form over everything else but the way I set my type will be informed by Modernist principles using left flush, negative space and ensuring theres no orphans, widows and rivers in my type.