Experimenting with low ink designs

 Low ink design

Due to my publication exploring climate change activism, it is essential that my final outcome is sustainable and uses sustainable design methods; in order to explore this, I wanted to use a different design style that uses lower amounts of ink and can be printed using only one colour. These designs only stick to black ink; I was thinking I could also look into sustainable ink methods or organic inks that could be biodegradable. 

I wanted to continue using my witty and playful illustrations, but in a more minimal and sustainable way; in a sense, I feel like this minimal style works better as it allows for a cleaner publication that is also more sustainable. I need to find a balance between maintaining my fun visual language whilst also aligning the publications' ethos with the sustainable values of environmental activism. 

I also wanted to apply this method to my front cover design, by using more negative space to reduce ink usage. Instead of using illustrations, I decided top explore using photo based design, that still continues the witty sense of humour I want the book to have. This example works as the image fits that tone of voice, and also the concept of a garden gnome fits into the context of environmental activism; I want the imagery I use to be related to nature, etc. I think this front cover works well in how the negative space places emphasis on the image, compared to my previous chaotic designs; I think I want to stray away from using super chaotic imagery, as it uses a lot more ink and takes away from the visual hierarchy of the book. 

These versions explored how I could use minimal printing methods but with coloured paper stock; the paper stock could possibly be recycled paper in order to continue a sustainable work practise. As well as this, adding colour through the paper stock would make the design seem more fun and colourful, without using loads of coloured ink. Furthermore, I really like this neon green colour as it relates to the tone of environmental activism as it is quite a garish and loud colour hue; I want the materials I use in the final outcome to be bold and share the angry tone of voice involved in activism and protest.

These examples of the publication also play around with cooper black as a typeface; I feel like cooper black is the perfect typeface for the publication, as it feels friendly and rounded which shares the non violent attitude I want the book to have. As well as this, it definitely fits with the visuals I'm including in the layout of the book, as it feels somewhat lighthearted - this juxtaposes the serious undertones within the book, but isn't overpowering or illegible. Legibility is very important in the book as I want it to be easily accessible, in the same sense that protest posters need to be easily read from far away. 

These are just some more experiments with how I could use type and image together to relate to the themes of my publication; I don't think these two work as the type distracts from the visuals. I definitely need to work on typesetting, as the types' role is to be informative and can't be distracted from the imagery used throughout the book. I was thinking that I could expand on this issue by possibly having the type completely separate from the imagery, to establish a better visual hierarchy.