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A Division of UnderConsideration

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One of the designers involved in the project, Andrew Lakata, did a great job explaining the project, so I won’t try to introduce this too grandiosely. But I do want to point out how surprised I was to see that the book was printed digitally on a Kodak Nexpress, because the quality was near offset. Yet the most surprising was the dimensional printing that Nexpress is now doing, which is a kind of combination of spot varnish and gloss laminate, creating a raised plastiquey texture that is quite unique. I had heard about this recently but thought it was more gimmick than anything. Happy to report that the effect looks very convincing.

This journal is a technical research publication produced by the students of RIT TAGA (Technical Association for the Graphic Arts). From conception to creation, students are the driving force behind the project. Each year there is a new team, new design, and new research, so the design is always fresh. This year, for TAGA10, we wanted to show that print is more alive than ever (even on a tight budget).

The concept of this journal was to provide various levels of interactivity though an innovative fusion of creativity and technology. To accomplish this, we designed interactive features to supplement the focus of the publication, which is the research content. Dimensional elements were thoughtfully chosen within the journal, and QR-codes link to additional multimedia content online.

Most importantly, we wanted the project to provide visual and tactile stimulus that could not be recreated digitally on-screen. The dimensional clear was used throughout the publication to create an adventure for the touch. When we see people unconsciously “feeling-up” the journal as they’re reading it, we know we’ve succeeded.

Other interesting elements include the visual interplay between the die-cut package and the cover pattern as well as the fore-edge design.

This was our first time using dimensional clear, and to create the most effective and noticeable designs we ran some printed test forms with varying line widths, patterns, and tint values.

Printing with dimensional clear presented a few problems down the line in production. The dimensional content added bulk to various areas on a sheet. Therefore, the signature stacks were difficult to balance and had to be cut in teeny-tiny piles. Also, as they ran through the folder, the signatures with dimensional elements built up so much static that they stuck together in an endless chain. We had to physically pull chunks of signatures apart, spread them on a metal table, and wait for the static to discharge, all while folding at full speed and getting shocked every five seconds.

In the end, shocks and all, it was worth it. We are really ecstatic about the overall feel of the journal and the tactile sensation of the dimensional elements.

Everything about this project is, for lack of a better term, smart. It looks smart, it feels smart. The contrast between the digital book and the brown die-cut package is very cool. No, sorry, very smart.

Northcoast Zeitgeist 2011 Calendar and Motto

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The How To: Project Poster

RIT TAGA 2010 Journal

Production Method

Design

Andrew Lakata
Vicki Julius

Complete list of RIT TAGA 2010 Members

Printing

Prepress and Production: Angelica Li, Nick Gawreluk, Scott Millward
Book printing: RIT Printing Applications Laboratory
Signature folding: RIT Print/Postal Hub
Binding: Hoster Bindery
Die-cutting: Diamond Packaging