Month: January 2026

Tutorial Notes 290126

—————

– Victoria looking forward to execution through Riso, it will converse well with guilloche patterns. Wondering about playful quality, interactivity, stamps, stickers, excited to see how that will work. How could that fit with commercial printing if it gets to that? (Victoria)

– Could this be a ‘pack’ of stamps, stickers, map, publication, as an activity for parents and kids to us together. 

– Dual narrative – kids, informal, funny, base it on how I speak to my daughter. Include stamp device or equivalent for adults facts etc. Perhaps record myself talking to my daughter as reference? A bit fun, a bit serious, digestible tone.

Tomi…

– Age range? 9-12 discussed. Refer to professional contact. Year 7, primary age.

– Text works, explains things quite nicely, particularly where it talks about acknowledging harm of Empire.

– As we’re using familiar objects, how then am I able to open up a world or thinking? Tamarind example mentioned good, stamp communicates to adults but needs simplifying. Rephrase it. Do that thing like it kids’ movies where adults’ jokes above the kids’ heads.  Text will need to have a balance between those two things, particularly the phrasing of it.

– Aesthetic will be fun and textured, engaging colours. A workbook would be a good idea, so things happening. Illustrations works well but there could be space for drawing, adding in information. 

– Not sure that this passport format works in the same way that it did initially. Because it’s so loaded, it kind of limits what you can do with it (?). There was something about the foldout that wasn’t contained. If it’s on the table and we’re engaging with it, is it something about looking at scale, magnitude. So could there be a map in there? Being able to grasp the idea of vast histories, passport feels contained to meet that. Does the book therefore accompany other things, it’s one component of it, so when you travel places this is helping you understand? Through engaging with objects, clothes etc, that passport metaphor needs to feel more connected. 

– Could it be an instruction book? A tipped-in map, sticker items plotting a journey where these things come from. 

– Passports are permission, visually there’s so much going on. Is there a way of stripping back some stuff and focussing on other things.

– Communicating to children – different types of kids and families, white English, Indian etc. Does these need to be universal? Something to research. How to that inform how I approach it.

– What to these mixed conversations look like?

– In what way can I make this universal? Fictional? 

– Play can be used to communicate complexity to the kids, to facilitate understanding without being reductive. 

– It would be good to make sure that it’s not phrased as something from the past, as it’s still going on today. When the Queen die for example?

– Play and seriousness need to interlink. References have clear position. How radical or sanitized is it going to be? Do you want to be provocative about it? Decide, and then adjust the tone accordingly.

– This could work quite well as a workshop. As you’re profiting and making, what would this look like as a workshop? Is it just parents and kids or is it wider? Additional contexts?

– Clearly articulated annotated bibliography, woven into your practice which is great.

– References given – The Black Curriculum, Lit in Colour (Penguin Books)

– Not a GAME an ACTIVITY.

—————

Action points:

 – Iterate an activity pack of sorts

– Organise research, approach a bunch of people too see who will talk to me

– Prepare a paragraph to explain the project

– Think about audience. Does this need to attempt to be universal or can it circle back to white British kids and their parents? If the way to improve attitudes adjusting the curriculum as well as something straight on.

– Uncomfortable Books? Like Uncomfortable Art Tours ref from Unit 2?

References I found:

https://www.thisisbooklove.com/shop

https://www.facebook.com/crdcFrome/?locale=en_GB

—————

THOUGHTS AFTER RISO EXPERIMENT

– Lovely light paper

– Nice imperfections

– Easy enough to execute

– 1.5 hours to make a 4 colour separation

– 1.5 hours to print with technician help

– Results are nice, but not as distressed as I would have liked. Why do I want it to be rough, is that appropriate? A question for later.

– Shelve this method for now until you have a more integrated prototype to play with. Large format printing for a map, for example?

– Consider Oakfield School, Avanti School, Frome Multicultural society. Is there something about keeping it local in terms of findings and knowledge? Is there something about keeping it local with audience as well? Lots of other sources look to change things on a grand scale. I just want to get parents and kids realizing this legacy like I did.

– Next stage should focus on primary research, but iterate format in the background. Perhaps push on the illustration as well.

Tutorial notes 220126

Current iteration of Enquiry question:

Can parents and children engage with colonial legacy together? 

——————

Points discussed:

(Victoria)

– Like the visual language, the type, composition for HP sauce. 

– Enable children to ‘spot’ surprising connections, hiding them before in Unit 2. Playful idea of spotting the detail.

– (Mark) Is there something there about playing with the book format – perforating, stamping, fingerprinting. Can I get the reader INVOLVED in the actual book itself?

– The spread designs need something fun about them, even though it’s a difficult subject. Reference of AKIDSCO books discussed – pared back, typographic design without any kids characters etc. Is that enough? It needs some kind of fun or engagement about it. 

– (Tutor) picked out some spreads from Israel/Palestine book. ‘Look you have a really big date, 1947!’. Agree that it could be more appropriate for kids. 

– (Mark) It’s the language of the books that appeals, it’s straightforward and balanced, it holds an appropriate note for the parents in the book itself. Can I take that template and add some fun to it?

Horrible Histories mentioned as TOO comedic, using toilet humour. Probably too funny.

– (Tutor) Conceptually, this is a pretty fully formed project. It’s really clear in terms of what it is you’re trying to do. You have an audience. Your query is quite clear, which is ‘how can we find a way to communicate complex colonial histories to children?’.  That’s what is driving all of this, so your next steps are less about finding a question and more about experimenting within those parameters.

– (Tutor) First direction preference. Tutor teaches brief called ‘Obliteration’ where an object is deconstructed in past and future contexts. In a children’s book format, that is a compelling direction to go in. Passport format makes more sense. There aren’t typically maps inside passports. 

– (Tutor) Format. Postcard size is slightly bigger. Nice that it’s slightly bigger and accessible. A4 is too big. Books near the cash register in a bookshop, or in a travel environment. (Sam) likes bigger, somewhere between A6 and A5, (Mark) B format paperback is an industry format, 129 x 198? Attractive to a publisher from a printing perspective. 

– Cover foiling, keep it, rounded corners. 

– Content.  Illustrations are working really, really well. The stamps added are starting to align with the passport. Continue to make them by hand and add. Is that part of the reading experience or are they printed?

– Typography. Title page is beautiful but is probably type you use to advertise the project. Straighter type is aligned enough with the vernacular to fit. Serious front page too! Lots of type going on. Could bring classic or sans to the cover? Coat of arms a good idea, leather substrate good, corner cropping from publications.

– What will the objects be? (Mark) Sanghera book as starting point. Could this all be in a temporal box? A day in the life? Yes! Maybe there should be something about the passport for the day (Tutor). A journey through the day and the objects we encounter. (Victoria) tea in the morning etc! (Mark) I like that because its direct comment on the curriculum if its based on a school day. Could this go along with their day? Reading the book at certain parts of the day (Tutor), is that where the interaction comes in? Linear narrative good. Omer kind of activity that makes them go to the next page (could this be stcikqered, or ask a question on one page and give a answer on the next).

– (Tao) Chinese achievement passport reference. Possibly ask your kids to record their day, so you can align, rather than it being me dictating. Has to be a balance between the two – broaden content, balance between author and kids content.

– Your first passport? (Tutor). Could this go back to destinations?

Action points

– Prototyping – get into the guilloche, really explore how it’s sitting, go back to its origins and its duality.

– Consider the interactivity point, questions, stamping, buy some as an experiment? Try it out on the kids?

– Consider the content, rewrite to go around a day in the kids lives. Could I consult the kids? Playtime? Invited my child to record their life in a day. Use it to influence the construction.

– Consider riso printing? Go see publications about possible format, binding, foiling, corners (PPC).

TUTORIAL NOTES 150126

Question from end of unit 2:

Can parents and children engage with colonial legacy together? 

——————

Proposed new question:

At a time of global uncertainty, can I encourage kids and parents to learn together using a print publication that asks what it means to be a global citizen?

——————

Points discussed:

– There is a space between children’s book and adult books for them both to learn together. Less about characters, colour, fantasy, animals, princesses and wizards, more about clarity of message.

– akidsco.com reference supplied, typographic, plain-talking books about difficult themes that put the children first, and have a note for grown ups at the end, along with discussion points.

– Space to challenge children’s publishing norms, one to look into with client.

– Miro board shown. Bringing in feedback form last term, conditional rules for working (new production for example), gathering references, ideas, thoughts on testing. This will be my point of reference going forward.

– Personal angle – should I keep that or step beyond that?

– Cartography – encouraging a journey through knowledge, look into this

– Testing – got an audience – local school, book group. Publisher

——————

Tutor:

– really clear project, but also full of tension.

– Imagining a publication and then applying into various colonial contexts – Cyprus, perhaps new locations? Alternative Travel books, unconventional locations. Place this under a seat on a plane, in a rich at the airport, guerrilla publishing.

– Got a good template for something, that needs rot be refined and then scaled to other contexts.

– Format of a ‘PASTPORT’ is interesting. 

– Guilloche is working, but needs refining/developing. You lose me in the stamps though, they seem drawn rather than stamped. This probably needs to be rougher, more analogue. Trees, home, carrot works, but stamps would be better if made in person (side note – this has been a theme at different stages at my work, analogue and genuine, copy fake or something made by the user?)

– Refine this one as a first step. Can’t comment on content / narrative yet. (Worth a rewrite).

– Content – some parts of it can serve parents, some can serve kids. Sticker moments for parents, stamp moments for children. Could have other things like boarding passes, make it more of an experiential publication – unwrapping, can it act differently?

– Subject – don’t burden kids with ‘your ancestors did this’. (Side note: Don’t want to add to the pile of colonial BS!, there are enough books and I don’t want this to spill into white apathy, I didn’t engage with colonialism directly for years since school, my kids were on a path to do the same)

– Something about collaboration (Irene). Is this perceived as a closed outcome? What if this could be more like a workbook, to build together, collaborative between adults and kids. STAMPING opportunities, working into it. An activity there. AIM – getting PARENTS to look into it.

——————

Poss action points

– Look at the text, break it out and see if it can move in. Simpler language. Can two narratives or strings work at the same time?

– Iterate current design, could this hold a few different strands in it – stickering, stamping. Ultimately screen print a large format map? Give it a used feel. Does it need to be in a more standard book form but with stuff coming out of it like a sheet of stickers to build knowledge as you go? There is a point about interactivity here.

– Get into screen printing lab for induction next week.

– Get into the library and start looking at Cartographic alternatives, see how that informs ideation.

– Contact local bookseller and client to be there for ongoing queries, recommendations of references.