Book Design & Production

>Editorial Design>Photobooks

Speciality
To produce books in low numbers at the highest quality – as if they were produced on an industrial scale – that is our speciality. The printing industry is in permanent transition. We know where the best machines for the job are and we make sure that a book gets what it ultimately deserves: good binding.

Intake, debrief
A first reconnaissance of the project, its origin, its content, its purpose. Concluded by a written debrief, a proposed workflow and a planning.

Concept, product design
We discuss content, purpose and distribution. Result: book concept. Size, number of pages, paper stock, hard- or soft cover, print run etc. At this moment it is already possible to ask quotes from production houses. And we can order a binders’ dummy.

Edit, sequence
We select the images and create sequences. We print the images on a small size in order to create flip dummies to be able to experience the mechanism. A book is an apparatus!

Typography, graphic design
We propose a font and a grid with all the details such as margins, page numbers, headers or footers, tags, quotes, captions, credit lines etc.

Book design, layout
This is where the photo edit and the graphic design converge into the book format: the layout. At this stage we define the actual amount of pages, we design the cover and spine.

Pre-press, lithography
Images will be optimized for print (digital lithography), the document will be checked and approved. We deliver the digital files according to the printers’ PDF profile.

Print production, binding
Traditional offset printing asks for different preparations and demands higher production numbers than digital printing. The advantage of the latter is, that we can see and judge the actual result by printing just one copy without breaking the bank.
Book binding is still the most artisanal part of book production: planning and execution take time and thorough preparation.

Distribution, marketing
Distribution is key. It may be in good hands with a publisher or a distributor but often we find ourselves operating in a niche business. There are specialist book shops. There are dedicated photobook fairs. And via social media and a web shop, the world is at your feet.