Printed Matter: EMBOSSING

    

 In the course we were encouraged to treat the book as a site for architectural exploration. We were challenged with questions such as “The Book of Art or The Art of Book?”. We were exposed to rare, experimental and unconventional books. We were also given freedom to explore and test our ideas, find things that inspire us and let this all built up into one final project; A Book 

    After having gathered enough skills and culture on books, we had to start developing our own ideas. Starting off from my initial inspiration with textures and tactile sensations I took a set of pictures consisting of different architectural facades which in a way manage to stimulate our tactile senses.

     The next step of my design was to try and translate those images into a three dimensional book. Considering how my intentions were on tactile stimulation, I decided to experiment with embossing in order to give depth and texture to the paper. 

     The first step in the Embossing process was to turn my pictures into vecotorial drawings in order to create the stencil for the paper.

     For the next part I went and visited a publishing house specialized in embossing in order to create the stencils as well as learn more about the process. In the end, however, due to costs I decided to make my own stencils firstly using Maylar and later by laser cutting plywood sheets.

After making the stencils I had to decide on the type of paper I was going to use. It is important for the paper to have loose fibers when do- ing embossing so it does not tear.

      After testing different types of paper, I decided to use the technique of Dry Embossing for my project. There are many methods of embossing but this one only requires a stencil, paper heater and something firm and smooth to push the paper into the stencil. 

Paper Heater

     I also tried decorating the embossings with an equivalent to gold leaf. It was, however, not quite compatible with the theme of my project so I only kept one such sample.

     The next phase of the project consists of showcasing the embossed cards. I could either bind them together or make them a box. In the end, following my initial inspiration on free paper/cards, I decided on making a box for the cards and leaving them free for people to interact with.

     Another important aspect of my project is the stacking of the cards. Since they all have different patterns of embossing, while stacked one on top of the other they create quite an interesting section. In order to emphasize that I made the portable drawer open at the frontal section so that the stacked cards are more visible.

School: Architectural Association
Course type: Media Studies
Course name: Printed Matter
Tutor: Caroline Rabourdin