Critical Research Journal

Laura Wing Book

PDF book sent to the printers.

Laura Wing Book Cover

PDF Front Cover sent to printers.

Laura Wing Rediscovering the Aerodrome A4

PDF available for download on website, resized at A4.

For the book layout the theme continues with labelling the structures The Bird’s Eye View, The Runway, The Hangar but the difference that The Defensive Structures have in some cases also been labelled with the actual name of the structure like The Pillbox, The Battle HQ. The miscellaneous category has instead been replaced with what the actual structure name is. This is because the book flows freely from structure to structure it is not necessary to keep these strict categories, also with feedback from portfolio reviews ‘Miscellaneous’ was not favourable, in which I agree.

The book size was determined after getting a quote for printing, using the size 250mm x 250mm, I decided this would work best with my images. The typeface chosen was Gill Sans, this reminded me of the font typically used for World War 2 building numbers used for a sign/plague outside the building.

The book flows with the introduction featuring a colour-coded map, these colour coded aircraft correspond with the image and with the extended text at the back of the book. This is so the viewer can use this book like a guide and cross-reference easily between areas. After the introduction the images feature one after the other with no space between, image captions feature the name of the structure and at the top, the colour coded aircraft with airfield name. This is the main feature for the book not only is it a  photographic body of work but also a useable guide for investigating other sites and structures.

The order of images mimics the order of the exhibition imagery with exception of 1 or 2 with the layout working best with the stronger image on the right facing page. The inclusion of 2 more images were added, as being a publication I could increase the edit. Extended captions start promptly after the last image and our grouped together in location rather than individual structure.

Information for these captions were obtained by me interviewing 2 historians with these selected images. I liked the idea that somebody with many years of experience in this subject sharing knowledge and history with someone is relatively new to the subject. The last page features acknowledgments, useful websites and references. I have also included 3 bonus images that feature an aerial of 3 other areas. They also feature colour coding so they can be referenced with the map at the start of the book, although do not feature in extended captions. All graphics within the book were made by myself in which I have incorporated with in the design.

For printing the book I chose a company called Book Printing UK in which I chose a square format 250mm x 250mm with a matte cover and inside paper stock of 135gsm silk, all decisions were made because of budget.  A PDF of this book is also available to download from my website. I’m not sure if this company was the best for printing, my images seem flat and overall the quality seems cheap, but this was determined because of budget. I am thinking now, maybe I should have produced quality over quantity because I’m not sure if they will even be useable. I should have produced a quality dummy book as appose to trying to produce numbers for distribution. I am still waiting for the books to arrive so hopefully I will be pleasantly surprised. My intention would have been to sell them on the website at cost price for the printing.