FMP - Day Trip to Foyles

So I decided to go to Foyles the book store as I wanted to see what interesting books I could find on Mental illnesses, Artist, Self help and to just to see if the type of book I'm hoping to create is on the the shelves. The main goal was to see how the types of book styles (shapes, covers, format) are out there, what the cost were and the layouts.

I'm really pleased that I went as I discovered a lot in terms of what kind of books are out there and the style of books. I found out that there are books in the style of how I envision my final book/ zine to be which is a mixture of artwork and quotes/ facts. From visiting Foyles I forgot how I could enjoy reading books as I feel as though when I go to the library i'm a bit overwhelmed and don't know where to start from. Whereas being in a bookstore things seem to more ordered and visually inviting. It also brings back memories as my mum used to take me and my sister to the bookstore often as they are both bookworms. I am more drawn to visionary books as I imagine a lot of creative people are. I noticed that there are a lot of visionary type of books on sale for my age and older which i'm pleased about as sometimes I feel that people expect you to read literature as you get older which I always found/ find hard to get into. So what i'm trying to say is that I want my final product to be something very visual but also informative so it can target other creative people more naturally. But also attract those who like like reading but want a break from easy literature. 

Here are a few of my favourite books I found:

I really like how this was simply binded by a straight stitch. I also love the muted grey with the yellow its simple but effective.

This was one of my favourite books. I also like the idea of the reader being able to use the images as postcards which gives a personal touch

I liked the how the reader can interactive with this and make it their own. I also liked the style of the book it had the feel of a well produced zine.

I loved the shape and the thick cardboard cover of this. It's instantly visually appealing

The pages were also simple but effective. I liked the mixture of the cream and white pages

Grabbing, to the point cover

I like the layout of these pages, very similar to what I envision my layout to be

I loved these Penguin books they were extrmemly light which I instantly thought they are easily transportable and is a great small gift. I also like the fact that they were 3 for 2 as there were several different books in this format for £4.99 which is a great selling point

I also loved how the covers were embossed which I feel adds charm to a fairly cheaply produced book 

This acetate cover called to me across the bookstore. It's great to add more dimension to the cover and I like how the text was placed on the acetate and the image was left alone on the actual book.

This is another book and author I liked. I like the way it shows David Shrigley's personal style which is similar to mine aswell which is handwritten text and doodles to label things. I feel as thought its gives a very personal touch which I love. Although i've found a lot of teachers don't particularly like as they feel it's messy looking but Shrigley has executed it very well.

I love the simple professional layout of the photos with Shrigley's not so professional handwriting 

Simple cover and simple display

Overall I LOVED my visit to Foyles and had got my excited about the finished look of my final piece. I now need to think about what kind of overall look I want, whether it is busy pages or simplicity, which I usually have trouble on. I'll upload a post later on my ideas and development.