Flatland : Concept Statement

Before you judge, this collaboration is an extension of our concept.

Just as the geometric shapes of Flatland are persecuted and restricted by the guidelines that have been imposed on them, we too (like square) have sought to break out of the rules of what is expected and accepted within your guidelines.

A risky move I am sure, but as well as this, collaborating is a vital part of student practice along side a self-directed practice.  Of this there is no argument.

Flatland is a story of a character (square) who no longer feels that he belongs within the society that has been presented to him.  Our concept was that of ‘not belonging and not fitting in.’ This is explored through the layout of typography and the format in which it sits.  This is most evident in the poster designs, where elements shift out of their natural grid and emerge elsewhere.  The chapbook too explores this through the format decision, which engages the reader and provokes them to explore the ideas of multi-dimensionality.

The chapbooks and the full bundle are aimed at intellectual commuters who take short journeys to and from work, by train, bus or foot.  The scale of the chapbooks enables them to be fitted into a bag or pocket and be read within confined spaces.  They are safer in terms of experimental layout as they must ultimately be readable and a functional product that does not aim to confuse.  

The chapbook is layed out on a single A3 format page.  This keeps the cost low but also raised the problem of bleed.  There is no bleed on our chapbook, the reason being that to be printed at 100% with a bleed drastically affects the alignment of the print, with the inclusion of a bleed, the stock scale would need to be increased, adding cost to production.

The narrative of Flatland and its concepts are fairly abstract; this influenced the design direction of the poster design and the format used for the chapbook.  The chapbooks and book covers, as well as the use of Adobe Garamond act as an homage to the Traditional age of print and the era in which the novella was written.  This was important to convey, as it is likely that fans of Flatland will be more drawn to this product.