Writing Content

Title: Dubai Architecture
Sub Title: Steel flowers of the desert

Buildings:
Emirates Towers
Burj Al Dubai
21st Century Tower
Chelsea Tower
The Tower
Al Seef Tower
Grosvenor house
Burj Dubai

Preface:
This book was designed to contain two separate books within one, however to be read as one. As the reader is exposed to the surrounding desert and the city of Dubai hidden within it. The architectural images displayed are of the eight tallest and most impressive buildings as you enter the city from the main highway entrance. The idea is to give the viewer the sense of entering the city and being exposed to its beauty, but always be reminded as they turn the page of the harshness that surrounds them.

Colophon:
The concept of the book evolved from the idea of a grand city such as Dubai within the confinement of the desert that surrounds it. That such magnificent buildings could grow from the harshness of the Desert. The book is a pun in on itself from the moment it is seen. No one would suspect looking at it that it be about architecture; it’s a book within a book, where the juxtapositions are played upon all the time. The Typeface is Helvetica Neue and set at 13pt, the reason because of how within something so small is something so ostentatious. That of the endless desert and the unthinkable buildings. Sandpaper is used for the cover to give the effect of the desert harshness and the book is bounded with thread to make it appear aged and rare.

Credits:
Desert imagery by Steven Meyers¬
Burj Al Dubai & Burj Dubai by DA Addict
Emirate Towers & The Tower by Andrew Francesco Trobec
Grosvenor House by Nara Bint
Chelsea Tower, Al Seef Tower & 21st Century Tower by Ali Atlasi

Content:
Emirates Towers 11
Grosvenor house 15
The Tower 19
Al Seef Tower 23
Burj Dubai 27
Chelsea Tower 31
21st Century Tower 35
Burj Al Dubai 39

Demo Book Final Colour

This is my Demo Booklet in colour, its one of the final layouts among several. I don't think i like the cover, i more so enjoy the sandpaper cover. The Printing screwed up, they couldn't seem to get perfect double sided printing, so this now has become a huge problem. I like how the book turned out, everything is over the top "be it the desert or buildings" within something so small. The book being only 7inx5in. Anyway, tomorrow i hope to get some feedback and finalize several things. woot.

Spreads

Spread #1
Front

Back

Spreads #2
Front

Back

These are just two spreads, the front of the page and back. The black line in the middle of the page will not be there, just there to show the cut off. The white area will be cut out in each spread.

Final Demo Booklet

This is how my final book will look like. Although its still open to change. The cover is a rough but fine sandpaper and I had an idea to perhaps create three books, a small collection. Each booklet with a different type of sandpaper corresponding to the inner content. The books will have the same images more or less but one will be black and white, the other colour and the other of buildings in the night. Although this is still just an idea.

I’m not sure if I want my book to read backward as in Arabian Culture. I’m starting to think there are too many small pun’s in my book.

Title: Dubai Architecture
Sub-Title: Steel flowers of the desert

Pages

So I’m designing my book, i had the idea that it would be like a normal book but im finding out more as i design that i want it to have less writing and more pictures only. So now im faced with the problem about the Colophon, Index, Content, Preface...pages. I dont know if i should just not include these pages and have the book jump straight into the images. Argh…I don’t know. Not sure what colour to use as a background if I put in those pages. Its like almost done but not sure how to finish off.

Buildings

Here are some images of the buildings, although the colour is screwed on three of them. The rich blue one of the Burj Al Dubai is what the images should look like. The book will be small, only showing about 8 buildings but its still a good size i find. These are the eight tallest buidlings in dubai. in the book the buildings will be seen in order as you enter the city since the tallest, the Burj Dubai is in the center of the city as in my book.

Name of Buildings:
Emirates Towers
Burj Al Dubai
21st Century Tower
Chelsea Tower
The Tower
Al Seef Tower
Grosvenor house
Burj Dubai

Heart Attack

OMG OMG OMG OH MY GOD!!! so im designing away and lalalala all is nice. i go to save and InDesign CRASHED on me!!! la la la losing my MIND!!! but not all was lost. Just kinda got a small heart attack. Im ok now, drinking water lots of it and breathing once more.

So, on the bright side of things. I'm finishing my demo book, done all the layout for my main book with the pictures and tomorrow ill go to the printers and print. Things are coming along well...so to speak but still lots need to be done.

hmm...

So, all of today I've done nothing but work on my Book. This you would think is a good thing, however as i design my book does it continue to evolve from the original concept. I'm now kinda at a fork in the road so to speak as how to direct my book. An idea came to me to perhaps leave it merely as a picture book since it is so rich in colour from the images. The images are just so lovely OR even back the book black and white. Maybe make two books, one of colour and the other black & white. Anyway im off to bed, nice and early into the morning and i have work tomorrow. whoo hoo

Inks

I think ive found a place that does gold and silver inks. Just waiting to hear back from the person. I made a demo booklet of my book. Its to size, rather small. When closed 7in by 5in but this places on something so huge in something so small. Pus its cute looking. I have the desert images and now am collecting the final dubai. Wish me luck, gonna be a long week AAHHH!!!

Coming along

I don’t have much work to show, everything is in my head. Time is running out, I do know this. But im not too far behind although it may appear I have nothing. I’ve thought out all the problems mentally and now all I need is time to put it together. By next week, I should have a demo book up and about. Then just some refinement is needed.

Up a hill I go

I'm brain dead, perhaps cause 3am is only several minutes away. School is kicking us all with so much work. I'm a little lost with what i need to do for my book. I have the idea, the plan and goals but not sure how to get the ball started. its kinda started, but more trying to push it up a hill rather then have it roll down one. I guess i need time to get to work on it, but time is what i don't have. im not behind but i feel im not ahead. Don't really have anything for class today but its atleast time to work on it.

Desert Images

Update

The good news is i just got back from school, w00t. The even better news is that i spoke to Steven today about the photo's he would let me use and he should have them by the end of this week, perhaps friday lastest. So i need to get together a "to do list" and sort out my thoughts and ideas. What i have and what i need. My action plan is by the end of this week, i hope before friday's class is to have everything i need to start my book and just run everything by Reg.

Alrighty, im off to bed now. :)

Demo Book #4 Final Book Layout

Main Concept: After all my brainstorming and idea’s I finally came up with how my book would look like. It will be rectangular in shape (actual size unknown), and appear to be mainly on the dessert of the Emirate Empire. Once you open it, you will only see a book on sand dune images that are placed on a double spread. But each left side of the spread can be lifted to demonstrate a second book. These “lift up” pages will be on each building I have selected to do research on. However, in the core of the book will there be a even larger double “lift up” page on the main building of my book, the Durj Dubai. The way the second book will be laid out is how you would enter the city if you were driving, that will be the order of what building you see first, by doing do you get the Durj Duabi in the center of the book since it is the center point of the city. So this is my main and final book idea. Now there is just a lot of work that needs to be done.

Demo Book #3

Book #3, was to be more of an experimental pull out book/mini booklet. How it worked was that once it was closed, the layers of each page would create a metropolis. Then as you pulled the book to open it would show each building in Dubai, and each pull out section would contain a small mini booklet with information on that building. This was to experimental. So we continued to brain storm.

Demo Book #2

Demo Book #2 was to have each page represent that of a dessert sand dune or building rectangle. Although this looked interesting the target audience was then directed toward children I found and that was not my goal. I know my book will target a older more sophisticated group.

Demo Book #1

My first idea was to have a book within a book, to have a strong juxtaposition between nature and the artificial. So the idea was to have a book on nature, the dessert that Dubai is built in and within the dessert book a second of the beautiful architecture. Although this main idea I would develop upon, the way my book worked was not so great and gave away the surprise of two books within one.