Grid and Book Design

I have took a book out from the library that I found particularly useful, I found it an interesting read and I feel as if I can notice different types of grid easier now. 

This was one of my favourite grids to look at, not your standard strait grid but one made up of a collage but still with structure. 

I also find looking at the existing designs useful, they have good examples that use that type of grid well. 

Golden Section 

Definition: 

the division of a line so that the whole is to the greater part as that part is to the smaller part (i.e. in a ratio of 1 to 1/2 (√5 + 1)), a proportion which is considered to be particularly pleasing to the eye.

Some graphic designers are fascinated with the golden section and use it to create various grids and page formats-indeed, entire books have been written on the subject. Other designers believe that the golden section is no more valid as a basis for deriving sizes and proportions than other methods, such as beginning from standard industrial paper sizes, or dividing surfaces into halves or squares, or simply picking whole-number page formats and making logical divisions within them.

Above is an image of the golden section, it is used found within nature as well as graphic design. 

Book Design

Some terms within book design 

1. Text Block
   The Text Block or Book Block is everything between the covers of the book including the endpapers. It is composed of pages, leaves, sheets, and signatures. One sheet of paper, folded in half is two leaves and four pages. One half of each sheet of folded paper is a leaf. Each side of each leaf is a page. A signature is two or more sheets of paper (2 leaves/4 pages) stacked and folded as a group. Several signatures are bound together with adhesive or stitching to form most books.
   Each printed page of the text block contains an area known as the type page - the area of a printed page excluding non-printing areas (margins, gutter) as well as some printed areas including headers, footers, and page numbers.
   • Front Matter
     So called because it is all the material that appears at the front of the book, before you reach the actual body content, the front matter may be as simple as a single title page or table of contents or it could have multiple title pages, a detailed table of contents, and several pages for the preface and foreword.
   • Body of the Book
     The body of the book is where you'll find the story, the description, the main text of the book. This is the main portion of the publication. In longer books and manuals the body is often sub-divided into chapters or sections.
   • End of the Book Components
     The number and type of sections that follow the final chapter vary by the type of book. Technical publications generally have more of these end of the book componentsincluding an index and an appendix.
2. Case Components and Book Binding
   A basic knowledge of the parts of a book and how a book is put together can help the designer envision the finished product. The boards, spine, and cover material make up the case which is created separate from the text block and attached to it.
3. Miscellaneous Parts of a Book
   The designer may be involved in the selection and design of several additional parts of a book including:
• Bookplate
  A plain or decorative paper label glued to the inside of the front cover or front endpaper that indicates the name of the book owner. It may include a space for writing the name with a pen or bookplates can be printed and affixed to all the book owner's collection. Decorative bookplates may include fancy type, personal quotes, or illustrations.
• Fillet
  A decorative line or band impressed on the book cover.
• Inlay
  An illustration or other decorative element set into the cover of a book or inset in a border or frame of paper.
• Onlay
  A decorative panel of paper or other material superimposed onto the book cover.
• Tabs / Thumb Index
  Often seen in reference books, tabs are small pieces of paper, card, or fabric attached to the fore-edge of a book and stamped or printed with letters, words, numbers indicating alphabetical or subject organization of the text. Dictionaries, encyclopedias, and Bibles may have a thumb index where a series of half-circular notches or tabs are cut into the fore-edge of a book.
• Throwout
  A wider than normal leaf folded so that the reader can fold it out for viewing. A throwout may contain maps, tables, diagrams, or photographs that need to be larger than the other pages of the book.