better direction

I have been doing more work on simplifying illustrations etc and am concerned about the images not being coherent and so i have decided to change my idea a little. It still is in keeping with the eco-friendly vibe but a more sophisticated take on the whole topic. I am now looking at graphic design as an eco system. The outcome will still be illustrative but in a more witty/observational way. i have seen some beautiful examples of simplistic beautifully made books that have great impact. I think that by taking an observational view on graphics as an eco system itself i will be able to produce much better-more flowing and purposeful images. They will be made up of the different parts to an eco system-the organisms (designers) The issues they face-inspiration,ideas,practise etc and their environment-the city. The images i have already made will not go to waste either as i want a 'hidden' message within these images about the original issues. Stylistic zone will be simplistic-stark understated colours etc...

Disaster

well after a hellish session presenting ideas again and losing my temper with Geoff, i am still going ahead with my idea. I was not able to express the full extent of my idea due to nerves-as everyone knows by now im an awful public speaker.
So to clarify:

-Yes its a book but its not in anyway aspiring to solve the worlds environmental problems through its pages but to VISUALISE THE WORRYING EVENTS.

- I was hoping to make one-beautiful version which embodies all the issues (as i explained prevously) it was not neccessarily for a specific audience but more a piece on GRAPHICS AS A NARRATIVE ON ITS ENVIRONMENT.

-Another reason for the formatt is to demonstrate 'our' (young people/students) limited attention span to important issues. In the same way you pay attention to a story when you're reading it, and forget it once you've closed the book.

-YES its a big topic but why should that be a problem?

Interactive elements

I stated in my original write up of the brief that there would be interactive elements to this book- i havent abandoned this idea but im still collecting images, folding techniques etc. I have narrowed the pop ups down to three sub topics within the three chapters, the ones i think have the most visual impact. They will be deforestation, over illumination and global warming.
There are some amazingly intricate pop-ups i have found in my research which look difficult to emulate but i am keen to achieve a high level of 'paper craft.' Other interactive elements will come from the rest of the media used-textures etc to engage the reader with the visual.

I want the pop ups to be something different to what is expected-e.g deforestation wont be beautiful intricate trees to signify what we're losing but tree stumps-desolation, stark and effective.

Binding etc

I want the actual binding of the book to be quite organic in keeping with the theme-i also want the book to be inside some kind of packaging that gives it more presence. I like the binding of the book above and the way its soft cover is placed inside a hardback shell. The top image shows coptic binding which looks really attractive and organic. I like the packaging of the matches as it has a great feel to it and the image below again looks very earthy and indicates a stylistic zone i want to incorporate.

Media

As i have mentioned i want the media used to demonstrate the changes going on in the environment. I want the images produced to be affected with the same things, heat,water,depleting resources etc-i want the book(s) to embody our fragile environment.
I found this through re-search which is exactly what im looking for but have yet to find where or indeed if i i can purchase some

"Disappearing Ink" Paper from XeroxXerox has come up with "transient document" paper that deletes all content after a period of time and is ready to be used again. "Inspired by the fact that many print outs have a life-span of a few hours (think of the emails you may print out just to read, or the content you proof read on the train journey back home), the specially prepared paper will preserve its content for up to 16 hours. Further research is being undertaken to give the option of subsequently preserving the content if the user desires, which might literally involve warming up old data through the heating of the paper."

page content in progress

These are some layouts charting the pages in progress. The images i am producing at this stage are kept relatively simple as the process of printing is what will make them more then simple images. Using heat, water sensitive inks, disappearing ink, water/heat sensitive paper, embossing etc

Refining content

following on from extensive research into the environmental crisis, i have narrowed down all the literature to facts for each sector that will have more visual impact to work with. I have also been giving thought to the actual show presence of these books, i want the 'outer packaging' to be something creative that reflects all the facts and themes-depletion,excess,balance. I was thinking about some kind of sustainable ecosytem eg. an ant farm which could be installed into a clear box for my books to go in.This is not a finalised possibility as im still thinking about ideas etc. The main focus is editorial content of these three books whic are now :

Overuse of Resources
Climate Change
Waste/Conservation

I have filtered down the information i have collected into facts that can be visualised and sho impact, i have thought about the media i could use to further demonstrate the themes. Visuals to follow.

Environmental time bomb?

Chapters,layout etc

As the theme of my book is urgency, i want the images to somehow demonstrate this either through the images themselves or the media used to create them? The environmental issues i want to focus on provides me with a huge area to work on so i have broken them down into more digestable chapters which are as follows:

within each chapter are sub topics from which i shall create my imagery

-Overuse of Resources (Agricultural,deforestation,fossilfuels,irrigation,land degredation,over illumination,overpopulation,resource depletion,water crisis)

-Climate change (Global warming, ecological crisis, endagered species,air pollution,software,soil erosion)

-Conservation (Animals,resources,recycling,waste)

-Other (Light pollution,over illuminaton,noise pollution,genetic engineering,traffic,contamination)

I want to have varying images in the book-some graphic bold and with high impact like th eones above, some more illustrative, some pop up etc. Im thinking about how to keep the theme of 'urgency' throughout the pages, otherwise it will end up a incongrous mass of images.

stylistic zone examples

These are some examples of some of the stylistic approaches i found in my research. I like the different formats of print, interactive pop up books and paper cut outs etc. I think by varying my visual responses to the theme, the book will become a beautiful piece of graphic design.

FMP

Environmentally GraphicThe focus of my FMP is the relationship a designer has with the environment-both digitally and naturally. Graphics is a tangible form for communication, something you see, touch, interact with and take away with you, it is a narrative on society-its needs and its wants. My project looks to archive this narrative in an initially print based manner, focusing on the environmental crisis we currently face.The project would be about connecting people, working together is far more effective then apart. The outcome would be in the format of a book with pages that transform into things you can use/interact with to aid the environment or to raise awareness/ make a social observation or comment about it. I want the outcome to be simplistic and clear but beautifully made and preciously put together as the environment is. I would look to involve environmentally conscious practises as my critical mass to view my working progress such as the big ask, Howie's,etc.To clarify:-Aims to observe and utilise graphic responsibilty through its processes, to draw attention to environmental crisis.-To display a range of skills through the book from print to layout,product design etc-Indicate a vocational area-ethical graphics/charities etc-To produce a beautiful interactive book that uses print,paper craft,photography,illustration etc