Designing and overseeing production of the 2016 UCD School of Medicine Yearbook for Perigord was a very interesting experience. With a brief to be as creative as possible with a 260 page book and push the production values beyond the norm, the end result turned out to be a pleasant surprise for all concerned.

Delivering a book like this on time, on budget and to a high standard of quality, is no easy feat. It requires intense teamwork and everyone singing off the same hymn sheet. Scrupulous effort goes into the organisation of content, design, artwork, print and finishing. It had to be finished and delivered in time for an official graduation ceremony.

The cover in particular, tested the skills of the book binders to the limits. With holographic foil blocking on metallic textured paper extending around the entire hardbound cover from front to back, the job presented challenges that only the best block and bookbinders could overcome. When you design with special effects and papers in the mix, the biggest worry is how it will all come together. In this case, most of the unknowns were offset by getting the foil suppliers to pre-supply test sheets using the exact papers and foils as specified. That left it up to the blockers to match the quaity of the test samples and bookbinders to construct the book exactly as planned.

In the end, the real satisfaction came from seeing the delight in the faces of the clients when they saw the new book for the first time.