Seattle Publishing Journal
June 2009

Hello Seattle,

With sunshine, long warm nights and dry weather, we greet the summer with our June Journal. In this issue, we update you about on demand printing and offer some insight into good and bad design. May you enjoy the summer and this issue as well.

Thanks for reading.

Cheers,
The SP Crew

IN THE NEWS

In June, Precision Replacement Parts selected Seattle Publishing and our on-demand publishing services for their upcoming product pocket guide. This guide is produced twice a year and is distributed to a national customer base. Precision is an Iowa based manufacturer and distributor of auto weather stripping and replacement wiper blades to an international clientele.

FEATURED PROJECT

AABD

BlackDollar.org is the main website for the Black Dollar Days Task Force and the online companion to the African American Business Directory. This spring we worked with Executive Director Lottie Cross to develop a new database-driven website. As part of this project, we also converted the code to PHP, which improved performance and increased reliability.

Now Lottie can post timely news, events, and updated listings via the Gutenberg Publishing System® without having a webmaster on staff and she is able to maintain all content from a central source.

TIPS & TRICKS

On-Demand Publishing

There is a renewed interest in this publishing method for books, catalogs and miniPubs. One of the driving forces is its flexibility and cost savings compared to a typically rigid and expensive process.

As database publishing and digital printing become more widely accepted, on-demand publishing creates the opportunity for highly targeted pieces that can be produced when there is a need. Contrary to current publishing work flows, which require long lead times and large print quantities, by producing publications only when needed, storage, postage and printing costs can be reduced and spread out over months or years. Though the cost per unit can be higher than traditional publications, the savings come from the reduction in quantities and page size.

By lowering the barrier to entry, individuals, as well as small companies, can now provide quality publications without the huge up front costs that typically kept them away from print. Companies that have adopted on-demand methods have increased their publishing frequencies and insured accuracy by updating their publications before printing without major additions of staff or department resources.

SP's On-Demand publishing products and services include:
• Gutenberg Publishing System®
• Data Flows
• Image Processing
• Design/Layout
• Digital Printing

THE ART OF PUBLISHING

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Design is not art. There are definitive guidelines in design that allow for it to be good, bad and sometimes downright ugly. Obviously bad design is, more often than not, ugly and good design is usually beautiful. However, a good design can also stem from ugly, and the most beautiful typography can be applied to a bad design; it all depends on how well the message is visually communicated to its intended audience.

Art Chantry, a graphic design legend from Tacoma, Wash., who has designed gig posters for musicians like the Cramps, Mono Men, the Flaming Lips and many many more, has thrived on the ugly. Even though his drawings and photographs are often gruesome or lewd, and he uses DayGlo ink more than anyone should be allowed, he still creates powerful designs because of the composition of typography and imagery, his attention to detail, and most importantly, he effectively reaches his targeted audience, punk rockers. Inversely, the most beautiful piece of hand-drawn typography can become a bad design when it is based on legibility and can't be read. The rules can be bent. Some people love modern design and find postmodern to be atrocious, while others find it necessary to rebel against droll modern design. Beauty is all based upon personal preference, but as for good design, there are certain constraints that define what is acceptable. By working with clients to discover who the intended audience is, Seattle Publishing produces designs that are both professional and aesthetically pleasing.

DID YOU KNOW...

Amy Beardemphl

That Amy Beardemphl aka Red, our production specialist, is an accomplished designer who likes to create posters for local plays and bands in her spare time. Producing each one by hand and using silk-screening techniques, Amy's posters are popular and in demand.

 

The Gutenberg Publishing System's® namesake, Johannes Gutenberg, defined modern publishing when he blended 1400’s ink, type and mechanical technology to invent the moveable type press. With the same drive towards efficiency, Seattle Publishing’s database-driven system helps organizations manage their information and streamline the production process for print- and web-based publications.

Seattle Publishing, Inc. is a 36-year old company that blends current technology with time-tested publishing techniques. The company is a recognized leader in database-driven publishing and is constantly working to be the standard by which all competitors are compared.

Press Contact

Amber Zapffel
Seattle Publishing
206-903-1333
amber@seattlepub.com