MVP Publishing
So I guess Iāve been āofficiallyā working on this research project for two years now, and I donāt have a lot to show for it, much less the stated goal of a āmicro-press in the making.ā Iāve been reading and thinking, but have hardly done any making.
The one thing I did make was our little logo, coming back to it every now and again to tweak and update it. Iāve realized this form of micro-designing is primarily a form of procrastination (and avoidance) for me, but Iām pretty happy with the result at this point. The logo doesnāt really have anywhere to be used given that we havenāt published anything at all yet, though I have thrown it in at the start of a couple of my presentations, hoping that by simply showing the logo it will bring the project into existence.
Iāll get back to the design of the logo later. But noticing this mix of feelings; the frustration with not advancing my research (or even posting semi-regularly on this blog), designing minutia as a coping mechanism, and the naive aspiration of just designing something into reality, leads to some interesting definitional questions.
Drawing from the vocabulary of product design, what would the minimum viable product (MVP) of a publication be? A MVP is a bare-bones version of a product that focuses on a few essential features, used to validate hypotheses and gather feedback from users. What are the essential features of a publication?
- Printed paper*
- Multiple pages
- Structured as a codex (maybe?)
- Contains text and/or image(s)
- Exists in multiple copies
- Has a formal relationship with other publications.**
And then what would the MVP of a publisher or micro-press require?
- A name
- A logo or publisherās mark***
- The means to produce a publication (skills, tools/technology, and materials to edit, design, print, and bind) or relatively stable access to these means
- A place to store publications (from a backpack to boxes to a building)
- The means to distribute the publications
As these thoughts come together Iām also thinking about my own publisher, Set Marginsā, which is really just one hard-working person in Eindhoven, Freek Lomme. I decided to work with Freek as he was leaving Onomatopee to set up Set Marginsā, which at that point could be considered a MVP publisher, despite his extensive experience. He didnāt even have (or want) a logo. It was a privilege to be an early author in Set Marginsā roster and observe how Freek transparently and ambitiously approached establishing the press.
Each publication he was working on was assigned a number, based on the inception order of the project, not on the publication date, which makes sense logistically for a publisher. My book is #6 and came out right after #44, Matt Owensā Visible Distance. The numbering system is quite prominent in Set Marginsā books, unbranded but visible on the spine of every book, which makes them easy and quick to reference while selling at busy book fairs as I experienced the other week while tabling for Set Marginsā at Expozine.
The mythic (in design circles at least) numbered catalogue of Factory Records assigned a number/code for each of their music releases, but also to anything else that co-founder Tony Wilson deemed important enough. FACT 10 is Joy Divisionās seminal debut album Unknown Pleasures, whereas FAC 20 records a film script that was never produced, FAC 21, 47, 94, and 120 represent various logos designed by Peter Saville for the label, FAC 51 was assigned to the HaƧienda nightclub, FAC 61 documents a lawsuit brought against the company by producer Martin Hannett, and FAC 191 was the HaƧiendaās cat. Upon Wilsonās death in 2007, his coffin bore the plaque FAC 501. Factoryās catalogue makes for a more robust historical archive of the label while also contributing to its myth.
Pulling these threads together Iām struck by an idea, āwhat if Matter vs. Spiritās first publication (MvS 001 as it were) is the logo itself?ā In order to meet the criteria it could be printed on/in a small booklet, perhaps accompanied by a tagline or a small amount of text. It would be simple, fun, and easy enough to make and would hopefully push the project forward. Though it certainly feels a little navel-gazy and self-indulgent, it also feels conceptually sound, answering the questions of what is a publication and what is a publisher.
Iāll show the logo and write more about it soon. I think thereās an interesting story to tell.
Thanks for reading.
āāā
* Iām certainly drawing on ideas of expanded publishing with this project, but Iāve decided to use the material constraints of print and paper.
** This is more conceptual, but I think itās an important, if recursive requirement. A publication is only a publication if it is recognized as such amongst other publications. This definition frames the unique public, legal, and historical qualities of publications and how they construct/inhabit the space of the library (from bookshelf to building), the catalogue, and the archive. These spaces feel definitionally important.
*** This is more of a graphic designerās conceit as Iām not sure a logo is really necessary, at least not in the conventional sense. But practically at some point the name will be typeset (though not necessarily always the same way) and conceptually attribution of some sort seems necessary.