Design Context

WARNING. THIS BLOG POST CAN BE QUITE EXPLICIT.

Binding Methods & Folds

French Folding could be used as you could create 'secret' pages inside each fold..

I quite like the idea of using japanese stab stitch binding for my book as it's simplistic, yet pretty. It won't take away from the imagery and context of the book but will add to the aesthetic.

Look Books

I've noticed that Look Books are highly image orientated, with a few quotes or bits of text here and there. I like this way of designing the publication, as I will be able to focus on the imagery and comparison through the images, rather than banging loads of text into the book that people won't necessarily want to read!




It's interesting to see how images can be manipulated to create a story and sense of drama.





Within this look book, I really like the idea of having half sized pages to separate full bleed imagery. The neon colours and small amount of text compliment the black and white photography within the book.






I thought that the look book could possibly be packaged, so that it feels more luxurious than the erotic content inside. I quite like the way these photos have been printed as flash cards, as well as in a book so that you can have a separate collection of the images.




I really love the use of pastel colours within this look book - the photographs and layout of the pages and typography are all really complementary of one another, so it works well as a full edition.




The clarity of this look book works really well, as the simplicity brings full attention to the photos within the book - there are no distractions. The photos are really well taken and the colour schemes are aesthetically pleasing.





I like how this look book folds out into one large poster image of the different patterns and outfits that the models are wearing. It's interesting, as the designer has chosen to play with the layout and binding of the book to make something unique.

Photographers...

I want to concentrate on photographers that create sexually alluring images, that are sitting on the edge of classy nude photos and pornography. I've noticed that breasts seem to be well accepted in the modern age as something that can be viewed fully in photographs, unless they're being grabbed or shown in a sexual manner..

Jonathan Leder Photography













I find Jonathan Leder's photos of women interesting as even though they're all very erotic, he's photographed them in a way that is still quite classy, yet extremely seductive. His photos vary and some become a lot more graphic and more sexual, like the following..










These photographs are definitely a lot more sexually explicit. I think that these would be more appealing for the male gaze, as they introduce areas that would attract the male's attention, for example: the woman on a motorbike with her breasts out. Using something masculine like a motorbike and introducing the naked female body to the picture is very alluring for men and would be deemed as sexy.

I think that Leder's photos will work well against catalogue lingerie photos, as they feature some very similar poses and ways that the models look down the camera in a seductive and alluring manner.

Lingerie featured on America Apparel's site follows a similar style to Leder's work..

American Apparel
































I was really quite shocked by the lingerie photos feature on the American Apparel website. They were all a lot more sexual and explicit than I would have imagined, as this is something that you don't usually see in catalogue shoots! Usually nipples, bums, etc have been photoshopped out or the women have been photographed in a way that covers these up, however American Apparel seem to be really confident and enjoy using the entirety of the women's sexual image. Even though no sensitive body parts are fully out, they're still extremely visible, due to the fact that a lot of the lingerie featured is transparent.

Terry Richardson


























Terry Richardson is renowned for his explicit photographs when working with models. The contradiction with his work, however, makes the photos not as classy as they may seem. Richardson has been known to sexually interact with his models, and a lot of the time he forces them to engage in performing sexual activities upon him. An abundance of models have come forward to complain about Richardson and accuse him of sexual harassment within the studio. This makes the photos seem a lot 'dirtier' than what first meets the eye.

An article about some of the allegations against Richardson:
http://jezebel.com/5495699/exclusive-more-models-come-forward-with-allegations-against-fashion-photographer

Richardson, however, is a very prominent photographer focused on the male gaze - he produces photographs that men want to see, and being a male means that he has a clearer understanding of what men will find sexually alluring and attractive. Although the women in the photos are usually challenging the gaze by looking straight down the camera, they're not staring in a 'don't look at me' kind of way, they're actually using their eyes in a seductive manner, as if to tempt you to look.