Context
I was briefed to use editorial book design to deep dive into a subject area and convey carefully chosen information about my topic. I chose the history, aesthetics, design and rule-sets of the table top RPG Dungeons & Dragons, creating a detailed compendium of media to use and edit into the book.
The Problem
I needed to undertake a lot of research in a short amount of time, and amass a large amount of content in order to fill an entire book. The task to research, prototype, design, print and bind a publication in less than four months was a big task, making it essential for me to plan my time accordingly.
The Solution
I reached out to members of the Dungeons & Dragons community to talk about the stories they created through the game, as well as making connections with owners of TTRPG game spaces, pubs and bars across London. Through doing this I was able to gather a lot of unique resources by taking photos of games being played and archival game manuals.
What I did
I created a giant folder space to allocate all images and documents by their correct edition, date and/or book section. From this I could take out my desired material and begin to edit it for the book while writing the copy for each section. After I was happy with this, I printed my pages and began to bind the book, making a transparent sleeve to protect the cover whilst still displaying the design.
What I learnt
This project made me understand on a deeper level how layout, colour, paper, typeface and alignment play major roles in successfully communicating your piece of work to viewers. I now know how to create a large full scale editorial project with a finalised printed outcome, and how to manage such a huge amount of work effectively.
