Self-publishing: Graphic Designers as Editors

Florine Bonaventure, 2012


CONTENTS

  1. Introduction
    Context
    What is It Really About?
    Practical Work/Thesis
    Yesterday and Today: A Non Exhaustive List of Actors Linked to Self-publishing
  2. Self-publishing As We Define It
    To Present The Self
    Self-publishing = Community
  3. Self-publishing: Reaching The Stage of Production and Making It Real
    You and Me
    The Chain of Production
    Economy/Micro Publishing
    Distribution/Micro Publishing
  4. Self-publishing: A Notion Implanted From The Beginning
    Self-publishing: Graphic Design Education
  5. Publications As Case Studies
    Bedford Press
    B42 Editions
    BAT Editions
    Butt Magazine
    Dot Dot Dot
    Editions Cent Pages
    F.R. David
    Le Pied de Biche
    Occasional Papers
    Re- Magazine
    SangBleu Editions
  6. Reference Texts
    Bibliography and Webography

CONTEXT

Many graphic designers have, repeatedly, defined themselves as authors: publishing texts they wrote about their own production, to make them visible and communicate their researches and results. In our days, many graphic designers create publishing houses, launch their own magazines and publish books that they have written or directed. A new status has been created and established in the field of graphic design; the graphic designer-author-editor (self-publishing). In a school context, we are all asked to position ourselves as author-editor-designer, as we must be the authors of our own commands. Thus, we have to choose our subject of research. We are asked to: take a stand against it, to confront it, to digest it, to deepen our knowledge, to expand our vision and narrow it down while, in parallel, defining the form of the outcome. It would be interesting to ask ourselves how, in a real context, this status exists.

In French, there is only one word: “éditeur”, which includes two distinct ideas. “Editor”, meaning the one who directs and creates the content and “publisher”, the one who seeks financing. Here, the notion of funding does not interest me, therefore I mention “éditeur” in the English sense “editor”, the one who directs the creation, the one who defines the content and how to develop it. In this way, we can assimilate this term to the idea of an “art director”. Being an editor, also leads us to collaborate with writers, theoreticians, artists, photographers, etc. Because it is all about building a project, sharing ideas, creating a space for dialogue and research. We choose the substance, are able to organize it and take a stand against it. We use the editorial form as an essential element to conduct a research: to think about and to choose the texts, images, photographers and artists we want to work with, because they evolve around a mutual idea and reflection. We create a link between the content of the book and the form given to the publication.

WHAT IS IT REALLY ABOUT?

Through this research I want to make a state of the art of contemporary publishing, specifically around the designers who define themselves as graphic designers-editors-authors in the fi eld of self-publishing. I am conscious that this research is not exhaustive, my aim was not to give a global view on the actual state of self-publishing. I did not write this thesis as a precise and in depth neutral scientific research. On the contrary, I selected specific graphic design studios, and I analyzed their practices with my own words. I added my own point of view. This research is a personal analysis of a selected “micro” scene of the contemporary practice of self-publishing.

In our days, in various european schools, students are learning graphic design taking the role of editor. We could ask ourselves why. Why has it become so logical for people to teach graphic design this way? Why do they consider editing as a logical continuity of their practice? In a professional context, we find different approaches and practices in the field of self-publishing. As we know, most of the time, self-publishing does not bring money. Therefore, it could be interesting to know more about their motivations: whether self-publishing is an attitude or a popular self promotion tool, whether designers have the urge to publish or simply follow the trend? The economical constraints and the limited budgets of this kind of projects brings about the question of distribution. Some of the editors reduce to the maximum the chain of production, some try to renew the old and well known institutions (libraries) to distribute these publications and others create alternate ways of distribution (internet platforms, print on demand, etc.) Then, this raises the question of the audience: who are the readers of this kind of publications?

Firstly, I created a data base of texts, some of which were written by theoreticians and design critics about the idea of graphic designer-author-editor and some of which were written by designers who define themselves as such. I would like to conduct conversations with persons working in the field of self-publishing. Indeed, it is always difficult to access the works carried out within these publications — although rich — as they are often too opaque. Furthermore, only few texts analyze in depth the process set up by the editors in the field of self-publishing. It would be interesting to access information on their choices as editors and graphic designers. The conversations will be a way for me to get information directly and to discuss with the designers active in this domain.

Full PDF soon available to download.