Publishing Design

One of the oldest publishing formats.
Medium to document and share ideas, knowledge, records, and history.
Design requires typography, spacing, detail, and publishing tools.
Book formats include binding, paper type, and size, while balancing artistic vision with commercial goals.

Historical Formats:

Figure L1.1: Old Civilization, Week 1 (24/09/2025)

Iran-Iraq: Mesopotamian Civilization

First writing systems developed from accounting technology.
The shift from simple and complex tokens to bullae paved the way for early pictographic writing on clay tablets.

Figure L1.2: Mesopotamian Civilization, Week 1 (24/09/2025)

India-Pakistan-Afghanistan: Indus Valley Civilization

Not much is known about it, but they did have a complex system.
Their cuneiform writing on clay tablets recorded government, religion, and trade.
The oldest surviving palm leaf manuscript, from Nepal (800-900 CE), suggests their use may date back to 1000 BCE, and they were a common medium across South Asia.

Figure L1.3: Indus Valley Civilization, Week 1 (24/09/2025)

Figure L1.4: Indus Valley Civilization, Week 1 (24/09/2025)

Egypt: Ancient Egyptian Civilization

Only scribes could read and write Hieroglyphics.
Written on a papyrus and on the tomb walls.

Papyrus: A thick type of paper made from the pith of the papyrus plant.

Figure L1.4: Ancient Egyptian Civilization, Week 1 (24/09/2025)

China: Han Chinese Civilization

Early Chinese characters were written in vertical columns on bamboo strips, with threads linking strips for longer texts.
The earliest known printed book, from the late Tang dynasty, was found in a Dunhuang cave in 1899.
Woodblock printing was pioneered in China and perfected in Korea.

Figure L1.5: Han Chinese Civilization, Week 1 (24/09/2025)

Europe (Turkey and beyond): European Civilization

Parchment, invented in Turkey around 197-159 BC, was too thick and heavy for scrolls.

Parchment: It is made from animal hide.

Europeans began making parchment books around 50 AD, while paper became common only by 1400-1500 CE.
Books were bound using wooden covers with thread-sewn pages.

Figure L1.6: European Civilization, Week 1 (24/09/2025)

Week 1 (24/09/2025)

History of Print

2nd-8th Century AD:

The Chinese emperor ordered the six Confucian classics carved in stone in AD 175.
Scholars made copies by rubbing paper over the engravings with charcoal, producing white text on a black background.

Figure L2.1: 2nd-8th Century AD, Week 1 (24/09/2025)

Korea and Japan: AD 750-768

The earliest known printed document is a sutra from Korea, printed on a single sheet of paper in AD 750.
In the Buddhist Nara, the empress commissioned a six-year project producing millions of printed prayer charms for pilgrims.
The Hyakumanto Darani (“One Million Pagodas & Dharani Prayers”) is among the earliest large-scale uses of woodblock printing in Japan.

Figure L2.2: Korea and Japan - AD750-768, Week 1 (24/09/2025)

Movable Type: From the 11th Century

Movable type, which consisted of reusable letters arranged into texts, was a crucial step in making printing an efficient medium for communication.
Movable type was tested but proved impractical due to the complexity of the script and the fragility of clay characters in 11th-century China

Type Foundry in Korea: c.1380

The Koreans established a foundry to cast movable type in bronze as it was sufficiently strong for repeated printing, dismantling, and resetting for a new text.
Koreans invented the phonetic hangul alphabet in the 1440s to simplify writing, coinciding with Gutenberg's movable type in alphabetic Europe.

Saints and Playing Cards: AD c.1400

Printing from woodblocks was introduced to Europe around 1400, using a simple rubbing technique to produce holy images for pilgrims and playing cards.
Technical innovations in Germany later in the 15th century transformed printing from a small-scale craft into a foundation of Western civilization.

Figure L2.3: Saints and Playing Cards - AD c.1400, Week 1 (24/09/2025)

Gutenberg & Western Printing: AD 1439-1457

Gutenberg's printing enterprise was first documented in a 1439 Strasbourg lawsuit, where witnesses described his press and metal type.
His background as a goldsmith enabled him to develop movable type through master letters, precision molds, and specialized metal alloys.
In 1450, he secured 800 guilders from Johann Fust by using his printing equipment as collateral for their partnership.
His workshop produced the undated 42-line Bible by 1456 and the innovative two-color Mainz Psalter in 1457.

Figure L2.4: Gutenberg & Western Printing - AD 1439-1457, Week 1 (24/09/2025)

Week 1 (27/09/2025)

Typo Redux

Typography:

A fundamental skill for graphic designers to achieve a good standard of work.
It is the art of arranging text, serving as a crucial medium for expression and communication.

Characters in a Typeface:

Small caps
Numerals
Fractions
Ligatures
Punctuations
Mathematical signs
Symbols
Non-aligning figures

Figure L3.1: Characters in a Typeface, Week 1 (27/09/2025)

Figure L3.2: Ligature and Weights in a Typeface, Week 1 (27/09/2025)

Legibility:

Open and Well-Proportioned Typefaces:

Choose well-proportioned, classic typefaces to ensure text is easy to read.

Serif Typefaces: Garamond, Bodoni, Bembo, Minion Pro, Baskerville, Jenson, Caslon.
Sans Serif Typefaces: Franklin Gothic, Frutiger, Gill Sans, Helvetica, Myriad Pro.

Break legibility rules only when you've mastered them and the content allows creative expression.

Figure L3.3: Open and Well Proportioned Typefaces, Week 1 (27/09/2025)

Underline:

Lower underlines to avoid touching characters, as default program settings often impede readability.
There are two types of underlines: one that affects entire sentences and one that affects only the words.

Figure L3.4: Underline, Week 1 (27/09/2025)

Small Caps and All Caps:

Small capitals are good for subheads/first line of a paragraph.
All capitals should be used in short headlines/subheads, but should never be used for long sentences and emphasis.

Figure L3.5: Small Caps and All Caps, Week 1 (27/09/2025)

Special-Purpose Style:

Formatting styles exist in software to make footnotes, references, and mathematical formulas.

Figure L3.6: Special-Purpose Style, Week 1 (27/09/2025)

Text Scaling:

Never artificially stretch or squeeze fonts (horizontal/vertical scaling), as it distorts the design and makes messaging appear cheap.
Use true condensed or extended fonts instead of creating fake versions by scaling a regular font.

Figure L3.7: Text Scaling, Week 1 (27/09/2025)

Outline and Shadow:

Avoid outline and shadow styles whenever possible, as they are often misused and can appear amateurish.
Effective typography requires skill and experience that cannot be replaced by simple software effects.

Figure L3.8: Outline and Shadow, Week 1 (27/09/2025)

Type Size, Line Length, and Line Spacing:

Legible text depends on a balance of type size, line length, and line spacing (leading).
Column length must be 50-65 characters.
Too-small type “crams” letters and hinders readability.
Leading (space between lines) depends on:

Font (some need more to avoid ascenders/descenders touching).
Line length (longer lines need more spacing).
Type size (larger text needs more spacing; headlines can be tighter).

Figure L3.9: Type Size, Line Length, and Line Spacing, Week 1 (27/09/2025)

Character and Word Space:

Spacing and Alignment: Proper character, word, and line spacing enhances readability and visual balance; larger type may need manual adjustments; avoid widows and orphans.
Kerning and Word Spacing: Affects typographic colour and visual consistency; most software handles kerning automatically, but some letter pairs may need manual adjustment.
Italics and Capitals: Use italics sparingly, as long passages of slanted text are hard to read.

Figure L3.10: Character and Word Space, Week 1 (27/09/2025)

Alignment:

The four types of alignment mentioned are:

Flush Left, Ragged Right: Most legible; even letter/word spacing; easy to locate new lines.
Flush Right, Ragged Left: Harder to read; suitable only for small text blocks.
Centered: Formal appearance; use minimally; avoid for large text.
Justified: Readable if word spacing is consistent; avoid awkward gaps (“rivers”).

Figure L3.11: Alignment, Week 1 (27/09/2025)

Paragraph Spacing:

Automatically adds space above or below paragraphs, creating cleaner separation and a more professional look than using double line breaks.

Figure L3.12: Paragraph Spacing, Week 1 (27/09/2025)

Paragraph Indent:

The most common paragraph indent is a small first-line indent.
Used only if there’s no extra paragraph spacing; using both is redundant.
Standard size = type size

e.g. 12 pt type = 12 pt indent

It can be extended for design purposes to provide a visual cue for new paragraphs.
Widows and orphans are related concepts, optional under design considerations.

Widow: Single line at top of page/column.
Orphan: Single line at the bottom of page/column.

Figure L3.13: Widow and Orphan, Week 1 (27/09/2025)

Special Formatting:

Hyphens and Dashes: Use hyphens for word breaks and en/em dashes for ranges or pauses; avoid hyphenating headlines.
Line Breaks: Use Shift + Return for manual line breaks to maintain formatting.
Drop Caps: Use for chapter openings or special sections; avoid if not supported by the program.
Quotes: Use proper typographic (“smart”) quotes instead of straight typewriter quotes.
Sidebar: Supplementary text related to the main content; keep leading consistent with body text.

Figure L3.14: Special Formatting, Week 1 (27/09/2025)

Week 1 (27/09/2025)

The Grid

Raster System:

A grid divides a layout into smaller, organized sections, promoting clarity, balance, and structure.
Reflects a systematic design approach that emphasizes functionality, precision, and visual harmony.

Figure L4.1: Raster System, Week 1 (27/09/2025)

Purpose of the Grid:

A grid provides a structured framework that organizes visual elements clearly and logically.
Well-structured layouts enhance readability, understanding, and memory retention.

Figure L4.2: Grid Example, Week 1 (27/09/2025)

Modular:

A modular grid allows diverse layout combinations while keeping the design coherent.
In books, limited variation preserves clarity and helps organize text, images, and diagrams effectively.

Week 1 (27/09/2025)

Elements

Book:

All publications consist of 3 major elements held together by the format and grid:

Type
Colour
Image

Figure L5.1: Book Elements, Week 1 (27/09/2025)

Variation:

Maintain consistency by keeping core elements like typeface, colour, and image style fixed while varying their arrangement within the grid.
Use the grid to create engaging yet cohesive layouts, balancing repetition and surprise across pages.

Figure L5.2: Variation with Consistency, Week 1 (27/09/2025)

INSTRUCTIONS

TASK 1: EXERCISES

Week 1 (24/09/2025)

Requirements:

Watch the tutorial videos to guide you through each exercise.
Prepare a pencil, long ruler, A4 papers, and tape before starting the exercises.
Complete a series of exercises as outlined below:

Exercise 1: Mock-up Making
Exercise 2: Signature Folding Systems
Exercise 3: Van De Graff
Exercise 3A: Digitalise Van De Graff
Exercise 4: Form and Movement

Submissions:

All exercises must be documented and uploaded to your blog.

Progress:

Exercise Progress

Exercise 1: Mock-up Making

In this exercise, we explored different book sizes to find the ideal format for our design. I eventually decided on a 24 cm × 18.5 cm book size.

Figure E1.1: Mock-up Making, Week 2 (01/10/2025)

Exercise 2: Signature Folding Systems

In this exercise, we folded an A4 paper into eight sections and numbered each page, resulting in 16 pages in total. We also learned that when adding pages, the total must always be an even number. Lastly, we stapled the folded sheets together to form a small booklet.

Figure E2.1: Signature Folding Systems, Week 2 (01/10/2025)

Exercise 3: Van De Graff

In this exercise, we drew the Van de Graaf structure to understand the classical technique used in historical book design.

Figure E3.1: Van De Graff, Week 2 (01/10/2025)

Exercise 3A: Digitalise Van De Graff

We then digitised Van de Graaff using Adobe InDesign after analyzing and understanding its structure.

Figure E3A.1: Digitalise Van De Graff (PDF), Week 3 (07/10/2025)

Exercise 4: Form and Movement

1. Practice

Figure E4.1: Form and Movement - Practice (PDF), Week 3 (07/10/2025)

2. Black and White

Figure E4.2: Form and Movement - Black and White (PNG), Week 3 (07/10/2025)

Figure E4.3: Form and Movement - Black and White with Grid (PDF), Week 3 (07/10/2025)

Figure E4.4: Form and Movement - Black and White without Grid (PDF), Week 3 (07/10/2025)

3. Colour

Figure E4.5: Form and Movement - Colour (PNG), Week 3 (07/10/2025)

Figure E4.6: Form and Movement - Colour with Grid (PDF), Week 3 (07/10/2025)

Figure E4.7: Form and Movement - Colour without Grid (PDF), Week 3 (07/10/2025)

4. Colour + Images

Figure E4.8: Form and Movement - Colour + Images (PNG), Week 3 (07/10/2025)

Figure E4.9: Form and Movement - Colour + Images with Grid (PDF), Week 3 (07/10/2025)

Figure E4.10: Form and Movement - Colour + Images without Grid (PDF), Week 3 (07/10/2025)

5. Colour + Images + Text

Figure E4.11: Form and Movement - Colour + Images + Text (PNG), Week 3 (07/10/2025)

Figure E4.12: Form and Movement - Colour + Images + Text with Grid (PDF), Week 3 (07/10/2025)

Figure E4.13: Form and Movement - Colour + Images + Text without Grid (PDF), Week 3 (07/10/2025)

TASK 2: CONTENT GENERATION

Week 2 (01/10/2025)

Requirements:

Design and create a 32-page book that is smaller than A4 but larger than A5.
Follow the outline/framework that is provided in this task:

1) Writing:

Write 3000 words in English/Malay on a familiar topic, such as yourself, your family, someone who inspires you, your hometown, or a meaningful experience/belief/idea.
Include at least 3 chapters, 3 to 5 subtexts (sidebars/supporting content), and 1 caption per chapter.
You may use original writing, text from a credited source, or work with a real client if the project fits the criteria.

2) Visualisation:

After completing the writing, identify 16 areas in the text for visual interpretation.
Use any medium that suits the topic, such as illustration, photography, mixed media, or other creative approaches.

Submissions:

All tasks must be documented and uploaded to your blog.

Progress:

Writing

Topic Selection:

I chose my hometown as my topic since it contains many memories from childhood that have shaped who I am now. The house where I grew up evokes warmth, familiar odours, and memorable experiences shared with my family. By writing about it, I want to portray the feelings, atmosphere, and small things that make a house seem like home. It also allows me to consider how memories and places are inseparable, demonstrating that even ordinary places can carry significant sentimental worth.

Figure P2.1: Storybook Content, Week 5 (21/10/2025)

Week 6 (29/10/2025)

Visualisation

Design Direction:

After completing my writing, I moved on to the visualisation stage, where we were required to create 16 visuals based on our stories. For the typography, I chose Storyteller (a serif font) for the title to reflect a narrative and nostalgic tone, and Open Sans (a sans-serif font) for the body text to ensure easy readability. The colour palette leans toward warm tones, featuring shades of yellow, orange, dark red, and brown, balanced with blue, light pink, white, and black for contrast. I decided to use a children’s storybook illustration style, as it evokes a sense of nostalgia and fits the theme of my story, which was a reflection of childhood memories and the warmth of home.

Figure P2.2: Moodboard, Week 6 (29/10/2025)

Illustrations:

I then began creating the illustrations based on the key scenes. Personally, I prefer starting with pencil drafts, as they help me visualise the ideas more clearly before digitising them. Once the drafts were ready, I finalised the illustrations in ibisPaint X.

Figure P2.3: Pencil Draft, Week 6 (29/10/2025)

Figure P2.4: Initial Illustration Compilation (PDF), Week 6 (30/10/2025)

After receiving feedback from Ms. V, she pointed out that some illustrations needed to maintain consistent detail throughout the book, as a few appeared too plain or lacked gradients. She reminded me not to reduce details or fill empty space just for the sake of it. So, I refined the illustrations again.

Figure P2.5: Refine Illustrations, Week 11 (03/12/2025)

Here is the refined illustration compilation.

Figure P2.6: Refined Illustration Compilation (PDF), Week 11 (03/12/2025)

TASK 3: BOOK

Week 7 (05/11/2025)

Requirements:

After developing your text and visuals, the next stage is to design your 32-page book by focusing on format, layout, typography, and colour.
Follow the outline/framework that is provided in this task:

1) Book Design & Layout:

Use staple binding (saddle stitch) or another method with lecturer approval.
Apply a suitable grid system, choose fonts wisely, and keep the layout balanced and attractive.
Use colours that complement your visuals and keep it simple while adding dynamic accents where needed.
Decide on cover and inside paper types and consider visiting Hiap Moh, Conqueror, or a local print shop.

Produce a full-size mock-up with clean finishing and professional presentation.

2) eBook:

After completing the book design, choose the most suitable format for the content and platform, such as ePub/eBook, interactive PDF, or HTML/web-based.

Submissions:

All tasks must be documented and uploaded to your blog.

Progress:

Book Layout & Printing

Attempt #1:

Before starting, I designed my pages with a size of 18.5 cm × 24 cm and a 6-row × 4-column grid, then began placing the content and illustrations in InDesign.

Figure P3.1: Grid Used in the Layout Process, Week 8 (12/11/2025)

In my first attempt, Ms. V noted a lack of layout exploration and advised me to apply techniques from previous exercises and try more variations. She reminded me to maintain consistency across pages and ensure a unified visual structure. The colour block worked well, and the colour choices were balanced. For page 11, she suggested avoiding centre-aligned text and keeping it left-aligned using the rectangular element as a guide. She also recommended blending the cover image (bicycle) into the background instead of using a white box, and reducing the chapter text size (around 15 pt) for better readability.

Figure P3.2: Layout Attempt 1, Week 9 (19/11/2025)

Attempt #2:

When reviewing my second attempt, Ms. V highlighted the need for a smoother text flow, suggesting that I rewrite the paragraphs instead of copying them directly. She also recommended changing the blue in Chapter 3, which currently doesn’t contrast well with the illustrations.

Figure P3.3: Layout Attempt 2, Week 10 (26/11/2025)

Attempt #3:

After refining with my second attempt, I had my story printed at Mummy Design, complete with all printing details, for a total cost of RM92.40 (my bank account is definitely crying).

Size: 185mm × 240mm
Total Pages: 36 pages
Binding Type: Staple Binding
Inside Paper: 128gsm Art Paper
Cover Paper: 260gsm Art Card + Glossy Finish

Figure P3.4: Printing Attempt 1, Week 11 (02/12/2025)

Later, I showed the physical book to Ms. V, and she approved my choice of paper types. However, she reminded me to keep the illustrations consistently detailed and to refine the title page accordingly. She also noted the excess empty space in the layout and advised improving the paragraph flow to avoid gaps. Additionally, she suggested that the book should start with ‘Chapter 1’ (page 5) instead of the publication details (page 2).

Figure P3.5: Layout Attempt 3, Week 11 (03/12/2025)

Final Attempt:

For my final attempt, I added blank pages after the cover to prevent content sticking, redesigned the chapter pages with colour blocks and closer text placement for better readability, resized the barcode, replaced illustrations with refined versions, and made other layout adjustments.

Figure P3.6: Final Attempt, Week 12 (09/12/2025)

I then reprinted my storybook at Mummy Design, which cost more this time due to additional pages, totaling RM97 (I'm really going to broke for this semester).

Size: 185mm × 240mm
Total Pages: 40 pages
Binding Type: Staple Binding
Inside Paper: 128gsm Art Paper
Cover Paper: 260gsm Art Card + Glossy Finish

Figure P3.7: Final Printing, Week 12 (09/12/2025)

Here is the final book design and layout.

Figure P3.8: Final Book Design & Layout, Week 12 (09/12/2025)

Week 12 (09/12/2025)

Promotional Poster, eBook & Presentation

Promotional Poster:

After completing the book design and layout, I worked on the promotional poster for the book launch, including the event details (title, date, time, location, and author’s name) and a tagline to capture the book’s theme.

Figure P3.9: Poster Attempts, Week 12 (09/12/2025)

Here is the final promotional poster.

Figure P3.10: Final Promotional Poster, Week 12 (09/12/2025)

eBook:

Link: https://online.flippingbook.com/view/972167764/

Khu Ying Ying - Book Design & Layout

Figure P3.11: eBook, Week 12 (10/12/2025)

Presentation:

Figure P3.12: Final Presentation, Week 12 (10/12/2025)

FEEDBACKS

Week 1 (24/09/2025)

General Feedback: Finish lecture videos, take notes, and complete the exercises.

Week 2 (01/10/2025)

General Feedback: Continue working on the exercises.

Week 3 (08/10/2025)

General Feedback: Understand the purpose and importance of publishing before beginning the project.

Week 4 (15/10/2025)

General Feedback: Explore different grid systems and study various books to understand their application, then practice. Continue Exercises 3A & 4 and finalise the writing with illustrations.

Week 5 (22/10/2025)

General Feedback: Complete Task 2’s content generation within the 3000-word limit.

Week 6 (29/10/2025)

General Feedback: Submit Task 2 on time, then continue exploring the layout with your content and illustrations.

Week 7 (05/11/2025)

General Feedback: Convert images to CMYK/TIFF in Photoshop for InDesign, and continue developing your illustrations and layout before Week 9.

Week 8 (12/11/2025)

General Feedback: Finish the layout and illustrations by Week 9, and complete the blog by this Friday.

Week 9 (19/11/2025)

Specific Feedback: There is a lack of layout exploration. Apply techniques from previous exercises and try more variations, printing them to compare. Maintain consistency across pages with a unified visual structure and alignment. The colour block works well, and colour choices are balanced. For page 11, keep text left-aligned using the rectangular element as a guide. Blend the cover image into the background instead of using a white box, and reduce chapter text to around 15 pt for better readability and balance.

General Feedback: Refine the layout based on consultation feedback and present it to Ms. V in Week 10.

Week 10 (26/11/2025)

Specific Feedback: Use a more natural text flow by rewriting paragraphs instead of copying and pasting them. For Chapter 3, adjust the blue (either lighter or darker) to improve contrast with the illustrations.

General Feedback: Present the printed (physical) book in Week 11.

Week 11 (03/12/2025)

Specific Feedback: Maintain consistent detail in all illustrations and refine the title page to match. Balance the layout to reduce excess space and ensure paragraphs flow smoothly without gaps.

General Feedback: Complete the presentation slides.

Week 12 (10/12/2025)

General Feedback: Present our book in class. Finish the blog before Week 13.

REFLECTIONS

Experience

This project gave me direct involvement with publishing design, from content creation to final book production. I discovered how design decisions like grid systems, font, and paper selection directly affect readability and presentation. Managing different phases of the project also allowed me to develop my time management and problem-solving abilities.

Observation

Throughout the process, I observed that consistent layout, balanced spacing, and detailed illustrations significantly enhance the overall reading experience. Feedback from consultations highlighted how small adjustments in alignment, colour, and text flow can greatly improve clarity.

Findings

A strong grid system is crucial for maintaining visual consistency and structure in book design. Thoughtful planning and continuous refinement are key to producing a professional and cohesive publication.

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Khu Ying Ying (0357306)