IACK recently celebrated its fourth anniversary.
Last year, the third year, we entered a pandemic that created an unprecedented and unstable social situation, so I think we focused on what we could do now. People everywhere were talking about imagining a new world with the words "after corona" and "with corona," but even now, a year later, it still doesn't look like such a world is coming.
That is why, in our fourth year, we would like to reaffirm the unwavering core of our activities, set a longer-term vision for the future, and consider how we can work together with you to create an even richer collection of works.
[Criteria for work selection]
So, first of all, we decided to reconfirm what kind of collection we should present and how we should present it, which is something that is at the very core of IACK.
Let's start with the former question, which is frequently asked by our customers. At IACK, we place special emphasis on the following points when selecting our portfolios:
- Regardless of the genre, the first thing to consider is whether the work itself (the content) is strong.
- Is a collection of works an independent form of expression, just like an exhibition, and has the work been created with this in mind?
- Balance of content, expression, and output
While this does not necessarily apply to all works, these are the points we have emphasized since the company was founded.
Basically, when I read a collection of works, I try to look closely at the works included first, rather than the design or details of the book itself. Of course, there are many books with wonderful designs and books that stimulate various emotions just by looking at them, and in fact, there are many cases where my interest in the contents is sparked by the cover. However, a book that stays with me for a long time and continues to shine regardless of the era is almost always the strength of the works themselves. A collection of works with a good appearance has that appearance because careful steps have been taken to achieve it, and I think that this is what we should call a well-outputted work.
Balance may seem simple, but it is a profound element. "Content of the work" is literally the work itself, "method of expression" is how the theme or concept of the work is expressed, and "output" refers to how it is incorporated into the book, for example, printing, paper, layout, design, etc. It is not enough to simply have an even balance; the key is how the numbers are allocated to maintain the overall balance, or whether a new balance is being attempted.
Even if the content of the work is excellent, the method of expressing it and the final book design are neglected, and an "8:1:1" balance cannot be called a good collection of works. Or, even if the design is perfect, what about "1:1:8"? On the other hand, I don't think that a well-balanced "4:3:3" work is the only correct answer. Please note that this ratio is not a numerical value that indicates superiority or inferiority, but rather an indicator of how much each element is felt from the final form.
The quality or quality of a work cannot be quantified. However, such criteria can be as objective and important as the context/history of the work. For example, no matter how much I discuss "good collections," it won't be very persuasive if it's just "goodness" based on personal preference, but if I can just replace that "goodness" with an objective element, it will be somewhat easier to understand.
(to be continued)
