Daniel Cooper

My initial intentions to become a nomad may seem in retrospect rather whimsical, with a month ahead of me I remained apprehensive as to whether the trip would be a success or not. I now acknowledge it was one of the most demanding months I’ve experienced, but also one of the most enriching and worthwhile.

To be so invested into a project that I become it, suggests that I fulfilled my role as the nomadic designer. But recognition should not fall on me for the success of the project, it should be with all those that gave their time to welcome me into their practice, and for that, I owe them a large debt of gratitude.

I’ve become somewhat of a permanent feature at the binders today. So much so, they’ve given me my own personal workstation to fold my Turkish maps to perfection.

They’re being applied to the end papers of the book so as the last section turns, the map unfolds. Magic.

Map complete, just about to get printed and placed in the back of the books on pick-up.

Getting the map line weights right. The map was traced in illustrator, over 2,000 points. It’s getting placed into the book today, so just finalising the route and symbols.

Using a Turkish (appropriate!) fold for my map. It’s being placed at the end my book and will fold out with a page turn.

I had an extra couple of books printed before binding so that there’d be spare just in case they messed up, I kept one and here are a few (rubbish) photos:

Yesterday I went to get the attributes of my book printed at Darwin Press, then onto Wyvern Bindery in Clerkenwell to drop it off to them.

Overall, it’s:

- 160gsm Lambeth Cartridge from JPP of Brixton for the book

- 90gsm Zerkell Lughes for the Dark Grey End Papers

- 5 x Sections, 12 x Pages each

- 200mm(W) x 260mm(H)

- 60 x Pages overall

- 3,500 words, checked and edited

Then binding:

3 x Sewn Hardbacks with a Hessian Grey cloth

Wrap around back cover, with blocking stretching around the right-side spine

Personal foilblocking, blocked in black

Narrow leather black strap to wrap and tie

Everything was chosen, decided and a lovely girl at Wyvern is doing the binding for me - she’s seen me in various states at the binders, so she knows how much this means to me.

It’s ready for pick-up on Thursday.

Technical bits for the cover with the fold over and the foil blocking. Sticking with a black foil, on a grey cloth.

Moved on a lot with the front cover - after visiting a vintage luggage store in Battersea, I decided that the previous hope to use a luggage clasp on the front would look a bit too overpowering.

The book is meant to be more subtle than large brass straps, so instead I’m going to use a wrap around cover, with brass, circular tie points - meaning that the book will be self contained, no need for more ‘packaging’ for hand in, such as a sleeve - I had nightmares of the sleeve looking like a leather iPad sleeve, not what I wanted, at all.

The second point is that the book can’t flow directly from the front cover into it, due to the endpapers needed for binding, as well as the new wrap-around cover means people are more inclined to inspect the whole outer of the book before looking inside, rendering the beginning-end relationship useless on the front cover.

The data bars will now be on the outer as more of a simple motif.

Daniel Cooper

Summary Statement

Final Photos

Teaser

Book’s at the binder’s