Book update

So as I head towards laying out my book here are some of the decisions I’ve made.

• Pacing and the use of photography styles/framing/composition to control that: I am working with basically 2 sets of photographs—people and objects—and each has a range that consists of the bigger picture (shots of the entire space), the detail and photos that has a mix of both. I also have black and white photographs. Each will be used in an specific way so that the book has a certain underlying logic.
• Type treatment
• Use of cutout/collage images: my intent is to use them as decorative/flourish elements. I find that the pictures were compelling and descriptive enough and having big images on top was hindering the “readability” of the images.

Now, to production!

I can see a light!

After a weekend of work, I was finally able to pin down and be happy with the general art direction of my book. I have some spreads here as examples. What I’m doing basically is applying collage not on top of ‘white’ paper, but on top of another photograph. This approach works well enough to establish a setting and context for my text and images. The collage adds quirkiness to the page and also reflects the culture of these shops.

I’ve also decided to divide and categorize the contents of the interviews, rather than having full interviews one after another. In this way, I find that the theme of barbershop becomes more important instead of the personal stories, allowing the book to portray a general picture of these places. It also breaks the repetition and linearity that would be seen if the book was a series of the same interviews over and over.

I also need to set the pacing and flow of the whole book. What images would set the tone/pacing of the book? How can I use images to build-up or give a break at different points of the book? Hopefully these will be answered soon!

Revised Blueprint

This is the revised version of the book blueprint previously presented.

Overview

My book will be about interesting stories and talks that takes place at Toronto barber shops. How i came to this idea? I went around Toronto looking for barber shops and started taking pictures and talking about my project. The first idea was to create a book that would serve as a visual directory or catalog of some of the most famous shops in the city. I quickly abandoned this idea, because it seemed a bit too simple or too ‘linear.’

After discussing with few people and looking at some of my pictures, I came to the conclusion that barber shops are a place that serves not only for men’s hair cuts, but rather as a social space where men can actually talk and bond during that short period of time. So my book will be about a series of very short stories told by barbers in Toronto. These stories will be complemented by images that evoke the feel of those places. The objective of the book is to convey that same experience in a book format, trying to make connections to the physical space, whether it is through images or by the way stories are arranged.

I’d also like to play on the conventions of a book, especially using the folio in a way that can somehow represent a very well-known aspect of a barber shop.

Things I’ve decided

• Typeface
• General style/creative direction
• photo editing style
• page/folio transitions

Things to decide

• Book dimensions
• Paper selection
• End papers
• folding method (I’m considering doing a french fold)
• chapters/book flow

Inspiration Sources

I’ve been looking at some old photos of both barber shops and places in general, watching any movie related to the subject and trying to get a hold of any book that could be related to my project. As mentioned on my previous blueprint, there are not that many books that deal specifically with this subject matter.

Another source of inspiration has been just to visit some used books store. Although I coulnd’t find a book specific to my subject matter, it helps me to get purely inspired by some old-school designs!

Layout experiments

Here are some of the spreads and layouts I’ve been trying.

Some early type treatments and photo editing. Didn’t like this that much.

I like this photo a lot, but the type is not working for what I’d like to achieve. It seems a bit too classic and formal.

This typeface seems to be working better. It has a nice feel and adds personality to it.

I’m also trying to use a bit of the collage style. The placement of images out of context give a nice feel to the layout when combined with low saturated colours.

Some type treatments and an option for cover. I’m using this blue based on those barbicide products that can be found in every single shop!

A possible idea for folios running along the side of the pages. This idea/inspiration was drawn from the pole signs that are used to indicate a shop.

I am also thinking of using black & white photography. This helps to break down a bit the pacing and adds a bit of a nostalgic element, but in a different way from a collage style.

Another idea is to put some small elements to mix with the text. I really like this idea and think it adds a lot of fun and personality to the layout.

Lastly here are some quick collages I did. They seem to be working well and add more depth to the stories. The idea of collage also came from the fact that a barber is always “cutting.” The collages can also connect to the fact that a shop is a place that has accumulated stories along time.

Title of the book

I was also thinking of the title of the book to be “Tonsorial Stories.” Tonsor comes from the latin word tonsorius, which means barber. Since this might not be a very well known word, I thought it might be interesting to use it to draw some attention. If anyone has a suggestion or comments about a possible title, please let me know!

Timeline (tentative)

November 4: Continue working on layouts and text styling

November 11: Have all interviews done and continue transcribing them. Have some paper selections and think about binding methods

November 18: Continue to work on layouts and work on cover, back cover and spine.

November 25: Have all pages and table of content designed. Prepare for printing and binding

December 2: Book done!

The art of manliness

I was once again doing some online research and found this website. It is about the art of manliness and this specific page talks about a brief history of barber shops and the reasons why a man should go to these places. Quite interesting and I could see how I could’ve created my book using his point of view.

Barber shop Game

Okay, so I was just trying to look for some websites related to my book theme, and came across this online game about barber shops. Basically you have to offer a good service in the fastest time. As you advance, you will slowly provide better services and try to keep up with the clientele. Very odd to think there’s such a game, but in case you’d like to try, here’s the link!

http://www.dailyfreegames.com/flash/arcade-games/barbershop.html

Book Blueprint

My book is about barber shops. I am particularly interested in understanding these places both culturally and visually. Barber shops offer a wide range of people coming together and becomes a place where stories are shared.

What have I figured out so far

So far, I have gone out to 5 different shops, taking a lot of pictures and interviewing some of the barbers (most of them owners).

Here’s a sample interview.

I think I was able to see very different types of shops and they allow me to get a better glimpse of what I’m trying to do.

I have also tried to research some books about barber shops and must confess that it’s been a very though task. I’ve got some very detailed book manuals that explain in depth what someone who wants to become a barber should know.

I’ve also watched a couple of movies where somehow the story ties to the barber shop context (Barbershop and Rushmore). Watching those movies was very entertaining and also give me a better understanding of what these places really are: a social environment.

What do I still have to do

The next steps are really figuring out what this book should really be about. I don’t want it to just be a photographic collection and arrangements of images in sequence, nor a manual or ‘how to’ book on this subject. I’d like to do a book that explores the barber shop idea on a more conceptual level.

So the main thing I need to do is start experimenting with some of the pictures I took and see what I can do to bring this book to the ‘next level.’ I also need to gather more stories and transcribe the interviews.

Inspiration Sources

My inspiration sources have actually been taking pictures of the places and being able to talk to the barbers. I’ve watched Barbershop, which gives a lot of insight on the cultural relevance of these shops especially in the African-American context.

Another source of inspiration are old-school photography and typography. Letterpress posters and other materials created decades ago have become a great source of visual stimuli. Lastly, I’ve been listening a lot to the tracks that are listed on Brian Gossett’s web site. It’s mostly tracks based on city heists, but I find the genre to very inspirational for my topic too!

What’s still fuzzy in my mind

I still don’t know what the final book will be about. I guess I still need to answer the question of what is a barber shop and what’s their cultural relevance today?

What kind of graphic approach will be best suited? Not to mention typeface(s).

How can I explore this theme in a different/unusual way?

What I’d like to ask the class

Any sources/inspiration I can look at? Is there any other way I can tackle my book? What else can it be?

What is a barber shop to you?

Barbershop

Just watched Barbershop and it was a great comedy movie! It showed a lot of the social context that these places have in the African-American culture. Although the context of a lot of the Canadian barber shops that I visited are different, I think it’s important to understand a little bit of the context and types of relationships that can be formed.

I really hope I can get great stories and insights from some of the shop owners.

Updates on my book

So today I took the whole day to go around downtown Toronto taking pictures of some of the barber shops. All of them were really nice and welcoming! I was able to get some good shots, but I still feel like I need to get better pictures, especially of them in “action.”

The next steps are to get to talk and interview them maybe during this coming week. Saturday is a busy day and I felt like it wasn’t a good time to talk to them.

Book Topic

So my book topic will be about barber shops. I thought it’d be an interesting topic to explore since there are a lot of them that are disappearing. I am specially interested in exploring the common elements as well as the quirks of these places.

I’m also planning on getting to know more about the owners of these shops. They probably have great stories that took place in these places and it would nice to know even their own stories of how they set their shops up and what was it like to be a barber many years ago.

If you have any suggestions of books, magazines, movies or any other kind of resource, feel free to let me know!