The Art of the Book: Printing Platform Blurb Hosts Communication Design Workshop
On November 9, 2015, Blurb, an indie printing platform, visited PCA to talk about the art of making books and why printed books are still relevant in the digital age.
The Blurb crew, Dan Milnor, Susan Rilmerman, and Kent Hall, led a workshop in Veronique Vienne’s Publication Design class. They presented the Blurb platform and discussed its pertinence and convenience in the creation of publicationsOn November 9, 2015, Blurb, an indie printing platform, visited PCA, to talk about the art of making books and why printed books are still relevant in this digital age.
Blurb enables future authors to create their own magazines, books or e-books with easy-to-use layout tools. They are a fully functioning printing platform that can print black and white or full color works, and produce soft-bound or hard-bound books. They also offer different types of paper that can add character to the book. In addition to this, Blurb can also help users sell and distribute their works to a global audience. Through their platform, Blurb encourages users to “build beautiful” and have fun when making books of their own.
In the course of the workshop, which included a panel discussion, the group exchanged their thoughts on the relevance of books today. While today books are widely regarded as a “dead” form of publication because of the prevalence of the digital medium the group felt that books still have a place.
Moreover, books retain that sense of nostalgia that most digital platforms do not have. To have an actual object to own and collect is a quality that adds value. As an object, books enable readers to physically experience the turning of pages, the smell of the book, and getting immersed into the material itself.
Lastly, one of the key messages in this workshop was that making a book is a collaborative effort. Making books is a great way to be able to work with other people from different fields. To be able to make great books, future authors, designers and artists, have to work together and have fun.
To get started on making your own book, you can sign in at Blurb.