COP3 Evaluation

Written Investigation:

Over the summer I dedicated my reading to the notion of Authorship within graphic design. Books such as 'Designer As...' by McCarthy lead me to discover Emigre magazine which I have found really inspiring. Whilst I was gaining a better understanding of the motives for graphic designers to seek authorship, I came across artists' books. I became inspired by the unconventional uses of the book that push principles of design and editorial. At times it was challenging to research a new topic whilst writing the dissertation. This was made harder by the ambiguity that surrounds the definition of the artists' book, making it hard to concentrate on a specific area. Before researching into the artists' book, my perception was that they were more like coffee table books; glossy, expensive and oversized. However, Philpott's diagram helped me to get my head around the complicated subject which allowed me to concentrate my research question. The lack of theory within publishing in general has made it challenging to provide arguments for the impact of the artist book, however the knowledge I gained through exploring the notion of publishing as artistic practice suggests that there are new boundaries to explore that could help determine some critical theory within publishing.
Struggled to make an argument out of my findings, therefore it turned into more of a research project. Often the more I read, the more elusive the genre of the artists' book seemed to be. The limited word count meant that I limited the exploration within my essay, which was a shame considering the broad research I carried out. I feel if the word limit was larger I could have found a better structure.

Practical Investigation:

My practical investigation could have gone into more depth, particularly if I'd looked at innovative methods of publishing online, instead of just simply using ISSUU. I feel that online publishing is yet to be developed. It would have been interesting to explore the limitations of print and show how digital tools overcome these limitations. However, showing a greater attention to the book as form allowed me to emphasise the importance of the printed book. If I had started the research for my practical investigation earlier, this could have strengthened my essay a lot more as the link between my written and practical piece is tangible.