Eat your veggies before you have dessert.
Work before play.
Floss before brushing.
Much of our lives rely on a certain order to everyday activities. Like you, the students of Langara’s Publishing Program have quietly followed these arbitrary guidelines. Until now.
Since September, my classmates and I have steeped our creativity in various aspects of the publishing industry, with courses ranging from graphic design, typography, and layout, to writing, editing, and print production. To the idea of “first things first”, however, we have been encouraged to think laterally. For example, writers (before writing) and editors (before editing) need to consider the end user of their product—the readers. Designers also need to consider the final audience, but before even that—the printer.
Consulting your printer, we’ve learned, is the first thing you should do before any serious designing goes down. Having your design turn out the way you intended requires consultation with those who know print the best. Lucky for us, we’ve had tours of two major commercial printers located in BC’s lower mainland: Hemlock Printers and Mitchell Press. Both businesses were very generous with their time, and firmly cemented in our minds the importance of “starting with the end”.
So, readers of the Pacific Rim Magazine blog, Langara College Publishing students encourage you to “start with the end”…and eat your dessert first.
(Please enjoy the following short video with the highlights of the Mitchell Press tour. There is an accompanying soundtrack, so please adjust the volume accordingly.)
