an artisanal approach to digital publication
DESCRIPTION
Amanda Gomm of Digital Bindery's miniTOC Portland presentation - July 27, 2011.As publishers, we spend a lot of time choosing typefaces and formats, kerning and justifying, and setting margins, then throw it all out the window when it comes to ebooks. Understanding the constraints of the medium and accepting the ebook as its own unique art form will allow digital publishing to move from mass-produced product back into the realm of book as art. I will discuss the decisions that must be made to create a readable and design-sound ebook.TRANSCRIPT
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Digital Publishing
An Artisanal Approach
Presented by Amanda Gomm
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Artisanal Ebook Design
Combining design aesthetics and technical expertise to realize the highest functional and aesthetic quality possible under current constraints.
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Quality is…
a) Marketing Hypeb) Fitness for usec) Conformance to specificationsd) Customer Definede) All of the above (except a—a is evilish)
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Who Defines Quality?
• External Customers• Readers• Reviewers• Retailers• Librarians
Readability VersatilityMobility
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Who Defines Quality?
• Internal Customers• Designers• Editors• Project Managers
Beauty
Robust Design
Correctness Versatility
Satisfied Readers
Revenue
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So What?
• Readers have thousands of alternatives at their fingertips • The Publisher’s role as gatekeeper is also filled by
reviewers, social media, retailers, and the customer herself
• We no longer judge books by their covers alone. The quality of the ebook acts as a promise to the reader of the quality of content
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Artisanal Quality
Artisan
Content
Perfo
rman
ce
Reliability &
Durability
Suitability
SecurityAes
thet
ics
Availability
Perceived
Quality
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Artisanal Content
• Timeliness• Correctness• Informative or entertaining• Value added• Readable• Revenue generating
Hint: What publishers already do
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Artisanal Performance, Conformance & Serviceability
• Technical requirements are met• Sound performance on maximum devices• Conformance to device limitations• Preparation for technological advances• Readable, versatile & mobile• Correct & robust
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Artisanal Reliability, Durability, & Continuity
• Know the probability of malfunction within a certain time period
• Understand obsolescence and the inevitable and completely indifferent torrent of technology
• Decide now how to handle the economic impact of depreciation
• Mobile & versatile• Protects revenue, versatile & robust
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Artisanal Suitability
• Appropriate bells & whistles• Readable, mobile & versatile• Satisfies customers
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Artisanal Safety & Security
• Buh Buh Buh Bummmmm: DRM• Mobile, versatile vs. Protecting revenue
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Artisanal Aesthetics
• The technical constraints of eInk
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Artisanal Aesthetics
• The technical constraints of EPUB & MOBI files• The device controls:• Interpretation of code• Implementation of standards• Available fonts and embeddability
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Artisanal Aesthetics
• The technical constraints of EPUB & MOBI files• The user controls:• Font face• Font size• Margin size• Leading• Justification• Screen rotation• Image size
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Artisanal AestheticsThe Publisher controls:• Font
• To embed or not to embed, that is the question—or it was for a while there. (Embedding fonts is so over.)
• Relative size• Capitalization• Style (bold, italic, underline)• Serif, sans serif, monospace
• font-family: “Palatino”,”Times”,”Light Classic”,serif;• font-family: “Helvetica Neue”,”Arial”,sans-serif;• font-family: “Courier”,”Courier New”,monospace;
• Readable & versatile• Beautiful, correct, robust & versatile
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Artisanal AestheticsKindlePMN CaeciliaCourier
NookHelvetica NeueAmasisLight Classic
Sony Dutch Roman CourierSwiss701
Kobo
AmasisDelimaFelbridgeGil SansRockwellAvenirGeorgia
IbooksBaskervilleCochinPalatinoTimes New RomanVerdana
StanzaAmerican Typewriter
ApplegothicArial CourierCourier newDB LCD TEmpGeeza ProGeorgiaHeiti (J, K, SC, TC)HelveticaHelvetica NeueHiragino Kaku Gothic Marker FeltThonburiTimes New RomanTrebuchet MSVerdanaZapfino
Ereader Fonts
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Artisanal AestheticsThe Publisher controls:• Font• Chapter breaks
• Forced page breaks is the new recto• Images• Justification• Size• Horizontal Rulez
• <hr class=“sweetestrule” />
• Readable & mobile• Beautiful & versatile
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Artisanal AestheticsThe Publisher controls:• Font• Chapter breaks• Images
• Size• Mobi: <img class=“pictures” hisrc=“images/picture.jpeg” alt=“My Picture” />
• Quality• 16 shades of gray• File > Save for Web & Devices
• Placement• Readable• Beautiful, Robust & Correct
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Artisanal AestheticsThe Publisher controls:• Font• Chapter breaks• Images• Tables
• Readability demands creative reimagining for the platform• Fixed layout EPUB
• Only displays correctly on Apple OS
• PDF• Downloadable content• Readable• Correct, beautiful, robust & versatile
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Artisanal AestheticsThe Publisher controls:• Font• Chapter breaks• Images• Tables• Layout
• Leading• Justification• Margins• Portrait vs. Landscape• Columns
• Float those divs
• Readable & versatile• Robust, beautiful & versatile
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Artisanal Availability
Anytime
Anywhere
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Perceived Artisanal Quality
Author
EditorDesigne
r
Ebook Creator
Distributor
Retailer
Reader
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Discussion
Questions, comments, and tales of your adventures in publishing are eagerly awaited!
Amanda [email protected]
503.208.4745www.digitalbindery.comFacebook: DigitalBinderyTwitter: @DigitalBindery