Construction tips for book builders
Hit the booksCreative award show books to be exact. I would start with Communication Arts, The One Show, Graphis and The New York Art Directors Annual. Dive into them and study them. Witness how others approach and solve communication problems. This is not so you can copy others—it is so you can be inspired by brilliant and often simple executions. Deconstruct and reverse-engineer the best work out there and you’ll be able to apply those observations to your own assignments. Inspiration also lives online. Some of our favorite sites of are thefwa.com, adsoftheworld.com, ibeleiveinadv.com, sharesomecandy.com and onthegroundlookingup.com.
Don’t whittle firewoodSpend more time coming up with ideas and less time polishing up a direction you think might come to life through design. During my earliest student days I would spend a small fraction of my time coming up with ideas and the rest by making them look good. The end result was almost always a good looking piece that was void of concept. It’s just like fixing up an old car. Make sure it runs smoothly before you start thinking about that fancy paint job.
Vacuums suckEveryone needs a sounding board. Bounce your ideas off lots of people. The goal here is not to let others choose what book pieces should stay or go. Instead, let these people reveal insights or observations that you are too immersed to notice. From there, incorporate the thoughts you think will make the work better.
Avoid Charted TerritoryThis happens all too often. A student decides to do a campaign for a product that already has a history of award winning work. Creating a book piece for the likes of Nike, Coca-Cola or Mini Cooper is only setting yourself up for failure. Face it: the bar is set way too high. Instead, direct your conceptual energies towards the countless products and services out there whose great stories have never been told in memorable way.
Diversify your portfolioThere is a reason Baskin-Robbins sells more than one flavor. That is the same reason your book should be a mix of styles, treatments, and executions. Students these days have more than print ads and TV spots to display their creativity. Throw things like mobile, guerilla, outdoor and interactive into the mix to show off your diversity.
I know there are other book building lessons out there, so feel free to contribute.
Comments
Don't forget that the portfolio itself is a vehicle to show off your skills. I've seen too many books that were just boring pdfs. [Note: this applies to copywriters too. Don't write a perfunctory cover letter or resume – show you know how to write.]
And it doesn't hurt to give some context: Is your ad for a new product? What was the challenge here? You may not have that info if it's strictly spec work, but it shows you've thought about strategy.
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