RTD2015 15 Engineering the Book: the relevance of material design to investigations of the picturebook, comic and graphic novel

This ‘project’ is in the form of a three-way dialogue between three artist/designer-academics whose work as practitioners and theorists aims to contribute to a greater understanding of the picturebook and its ever-evolving form, boundaries and status. Through practice-led PhD research, the three are all examining issues around the making of picturebooks. The Research Through Design forum is seen as particularly appropriate for this work, focusing as it does on the designing and making of what is primarily a visual communication form. Most research in the field of children’s picturebooks has hitherto been from the field of children’s literature studies.

Martin Salisbury introduces the work of the three contributors, and describes through words and pictures the book which he has written on the subject of the picturebook, and the importance of its own physical form. Becky Palmer outlines and shows her practice-led research, exploring the boundaries between the picturebook and the graphic novel. Katherina Manolessou focuses on the dummy book as a tool for constructing the picturebook story.