We Came From Space
This book aims at the relationship between the professional designer of visual communication with the production. It, particularly, refers to the connection among what is required in a work and how this is depicted on the printed objects. We chose the office "We Came From Space" since it is directly related to the design and creation of communication “products” as well as to graphic design.
The office "We Came From Space" consists of designers – graphic designers who have become printersand bookbinders, taking the responsibility to print, using different methods of printing, whenever it is needed. The reasons that led to the specific subject were indeed the need to understand how a group of a great number of designers can function cooperatively in such a wide range of expertise as well as to comprehend the magnitude of positives and negatives involved in a situation in which you yourself decide to design and print.
Having visited the place several times, we decided to create this book aiming, on the one hand, at presenting the office and on the other, to present the relationship between designer – printed object, through a series of interviews with the people employed there, which seems to have a declining course in our days.
The book consists of three chapters. In the first chapter, we deal with the space, which has got a great architectural interest. This chapter is divided into three theme units. The first one has got to do with a photographic depiction of the place, the second with opening of the office and the third one has got to do with some general pieces of information regarding the people who work there.
In the second chapter, emphasis is given on some more photos taken in both the interior and outside of the place. Moreover, the questions regarding design and printing process are further developed.
In the third chapter, we will occupy ourselves with the workshops that take place on a monthly base and are directed towards the general public. It consists of five units. The first unit regards the reason for which these workshops take place and what they aim at. The other units present some workshops that have already taken place and refer different ways of printing and binding. At the end of the book, the reader will find photos from the shop of the place. The book is fulfilled with the drawing of some conclusions.
The people that participated were:
– João Martino
– Miguel Almeida
– Álvaro Martino
– Tiago Costa
– Catarina Azevedo
– Daniel, Rodrigues
– Raquel Rei
The relationship, between a professional designer and the production itself, is differentiated when the designer himself becomes the producer of the product. We believe that the success relies upon the team work and the proper and timely carrying out of the tasks that they have to fulfill. Having presented extensively the specific area, the people who work there as well as the different printing methods, we, being designers, have acquired a lot; we have learnt not only the operating part itself but also how a project reaches its final form and how it is like for someone to be and cooperate with so many people.
Acknowledgements to Susana Fernando and João Martino.
