Abstract
Our relationship to books is mutating dramatically, not just for readers and writers, but also for those who design and create books. This research explores how multimodal books might be used to integrate old and new technologies to retain the prized aspects of printed hand-bound books and complement the enhanced communication potential of eBooks. Combinatorial and transformational approaches to learning, teaching, creating and making were implemented in the first year of the Bachelor of Design (Graphics) degree at AUT University. Emerging theoretical contexts informed research into current issues, theory and formats, and students presented their findings as well-designed books that included both a print and an interactive PDF or EPUB formatted for iPads. Ways in which the traditional book might retain ‘value’ are explored – pop-up books, for example, are discovered to have shape-shifted spontaneously to digital forms as technologies change, enhancing rather than replacing the analog-interactive versions, and multimodal approaches are shown to effectively preserve, renew, and re-invent the book as it morphs into the future. See: http://lesleykaiser.wordpress.com. Keywords: Multimodal, Book Arts, Tertiary Graphic Design, Bookbinding, Pop-Up Books, iPads, eBooks, Teaching
