OUGD504 STUDIO BRIEF ONE - FOLDING TECHNIQUES AND RESEARCH

I experimented with different folding techniques to use for my leaflet, using the book "How to Fold" by Laurence K Withers for different folding methods I hadn't thought of before. Pinterest was also an inspiration as there were some alternative folding techniques shown with finished publications which I could follow the folds to produce my own example.

This is a better fold for a book where a lot of pages were needed, as this fold produced 28 pages. 

The "fold-out folder" is a much more intricate fold which would perhaps be used where a poster needed to be folded up. The step by step guide was really difficult to follow from the "how to fold" book, and I don't think I did it quite right as it doesn't really make a book, just a fancy way of folding up a square of paper. It does have these interesting flaps however which could be cool to use an inside pattern which can be seen when you fold over the flaps.

Pinterest inspiration fold. This designer has used different block colours for each page which can be seen on the front cover which folded up, due to the cut of the paper. This creates a very geometrical style leaflet, and the colours help to differentiate between each section of the leaflet.

This was a fold I tried to copy from Pinterest, shown above, however I don't think I used the right shape initial piece of paper as the cuts are a bit too pointed, and the leaflet in general is too long and thin, it;s not a very practical shape. However I think this design could work really nicely if I got the initial paper size right, as you would be able to see the back of the leaflet from the front, so I could experiment with different patterns or gradients, producing n interesting front cover.

This folded leaflet, titled Crystal Cave by Keith Lowe, inspired the fold below, which is also similar to the fold above, only instead of different directions of cuts, and two directions of folding, this leaflet unfolds all in one direction, wrapping around each other, and has a simple diagonal cut that creates a sharp point at one corner of the stock. This leaflet has a very geometric, detailed yet simple coloured design, each page being very separate to the one either side. 

This was the fold based on the image above, which I simply cut a diagonal line across the width of a piece of A4 paper and wrapped the stock around simply, to create this geometrical, layered effect. I think this could work really nicely to show the different stages of the leaflet, which reflects the design process as well.

This triangle fold is simple and different in shape, however it doesn't show many pages, so there would be a limit to the amount of information I could fit in it. 

This is an interesting fold as it is a very simple concertina fold, but it has flaps that fold out from each main page, branching out on the information from the first page. I think this is a good idea, however the pages do become a bit flappy, you'd need quite a high gsm stock for everything to stay in place, and then this high gsm it would become hard to fold and lie flat. 

This is a neater example of the first fold I did, as I wanted to see how it would work on a higher gsm stock, and I think it works nicely except that because of the amount of fold and pages in the book, it is quite hard to stay closed, it often springs open.

The above four photographs are a neater version of a pervious fold I experimented with and thought worked nicely. I wanted to see how it would work with a higher gsm stock, to see how it folded and whether it stayed closed or not. I found that it didn't stay shut fully, the last section to fold over stayed stuck out, which created a bit of a messy appearance. I could perhaps try it with a tab that stuck out and attached to the back to secure it closed. 

This is a really interesting fold by a fellow peer, at this stage it is closed.

At this stage it is half open. 

At this stage it is fully open. I found it really interesting how it twists to unfold. It also unfold so that it is flat as well, which a lot of folds don't, or when they do unfold they're long and thin, whereas this is a square sheet of stock. although this is a very interesting folding technique, I wonder whether it would be able to be produced commercially, as it is very unusual with intricate folds.

I experimented with an ordinary accordion fold, and tried a sleeve around it, to try and keep the pages together more so it read like a book rather than a leaflet.

This is how it opens up, which could be interesting to have the design process information/imagery spreading across the whole width of the leaflet, to create a seamless illustration.

This is where everything joins together, where the leaflet would essentially be bound.

The front cover with the sleeve on, where you can see no evidence of the inside content.

This is how the sleeve folds over onto the inside content, which I think looks a bit messy even for a quick mock up. I don't like how you will be able to see the sleeve cover from the inside of the book where the information will be going.

This is an example to show the inside stock folding over and holding in place the sleeve, so that the front cover will have a clean edge, with the inside stock being slightly visible on the front cover, giving a hint to the content.

This is a very unique folding technique which I found on Pinterest. I like how each square section allows for a piece of information, so that each square is clearly defined. The fold is also very geometric, with sides facing downwards and upwards and at interesting angles. You have to unfold it fully to get a really flat sheet of stock, which is unusual for most folds.The small size of the pages also means you can add just key pieces of information, instead of bombarding the reader with information, and as if demonstrated here, it allows for supporting images to have their own section but still relate to the text.

Using only the photograph above I created a square stencil and outlined the map of the fold, ensuring all the corners lined up, and the squared were at identical rotations.

This is the initial mock up fold finished and folded up, then opened to show how it can stand up like an insect. From this angle you can really see how geometric the design is, so if I am to use this fold for y leaflet I should ensure my design work fits the fold itself. 

This is what the net of this fold looks like before it has been folded up. As you can see it is actually a relatively simple net, the way it is folded is where it gets slightly complex. I used a nicer, heavier stock to see how this fold would work when a heavier, more practical stock is used. 

This is the leaflet fully folded up, as you can see it doesn't fold flat very well, but springs up almost like a concertina fold. 

This is the fold opened up similarly to before. Again you can see each individual square page easily, however I wonder about the ease of readability on the squares which have folds down the middle of them, as the text would be distorted slightly as it went round the fold.

Final choice of fold:
After experimenting with a wide variety of different folds in different stocks, I decided to go for the simple wrap around fold with a diagonal cut through it, so that when it is full folded up, you can see different sections of the background across the front. I chose this fold because I thought it was simple to fold up, and provides a good amount of space for information which can be easily read. It is also handily pocket sized, which is practical for people passing by and putting leaflets in their pockets of bags before really having a good look at them.

With the original fold, I found that the front page didn't lie flat like the other pages, so it looked a bit awkward and out of place.

To rectify this situation I attached a 2x1cm tab onto the front of the leaflet, on the right edge of the front page, and cut a small slit in the back page where the tab can slot into and secure the front page down. I think this works a lot better as it discretely holds the whole leaflet in place without being an eyesore. When I come to produce this leaflet I will incorporate the flap into the same sheet of stock for the rest of the leaflet, rather than attaching it separately with masking tape like I have done here.