The Oxford Book Project

Posted on September 15, 2011 in Uncategorized

Recently, the Oxford Society of Young Publishers held an all-day event to support Oxford’s World Book Capital bid. The event focused on providing design skills to people working in publishing through the creation of an eBook titled The Oxford Book Project.

The completed eBook features chapters dedicated to the literary scene in Oxford from author Philip Pullman to the Oxford dodo at the Museum of Natural History. There is a walking tour and a great look at how the River Thames plays a role in Oxford literature.

The day began with delegates arriving to Oxford University Press; the historic publisher was kind enough to grant us the use of the building for the event. At OUP, delegates were seated in the Main Gallery where they received a packet full of design basics and information about Oxford’s bid.

Alistair Tearne, the wonderful Director of ImportedLetters, an Oxford-based design consultancy, specialising in book design, catalogues, logos, websites and brands, spoke to the delegates about layout, visual pathways, fonts, colours and more, helping to provide a cohesive introduction to book design.

After a catered lunch, the delegates split into pairs and began the monumental task of researching and writing their chapter of the eBook in the space of about two hours.

Tearne and freelance graphic designer, Thomas Nicolaou, then began the workshop phase of the day, guiding delegates through the process of creating a book chapter using InDesign and Photoshop.

Jacqui Ibbotson, Programme Manager at Oxford Inspires, then spoke about the World Book Capital bid and what is trying to be achieved for the city of Oxford. The eBook was then presented during a drinks reception in the OUP Main Gallery and one delegate even described the event as ‘epic’! (We’re very proud of that).

Now, without further adieu, here is the completed eBook created in support of the World Book Capital bid.

If you like the eBook and want to share your thoughts with The Society of Young Publishers, please email oxford@thesyp.org.uk. Alternatively if you’d like to submit an idea or want to show your support for the Oxford World Book Capital bid, please email Brianna Corbett at worldbookcapital@gmail.com.