INTERVIEW  

Rafael Well, Publisher Editions CPG
(04-01-2010)

“Our challenge is to turn this collection into a solid platform of theoretical knowledge and the office of the graphical sector”

Academic director of the Masters in Design and Management of the Graphical Production in ELISAVA/IDEC Universitat Pompeu book Fabra and Editor specialized in the graphical sector, Rafael Well, constitutes one of the graphical expert majors to which they are possible to be resorted at present. Taking advantage of this circumstance in this interview Rafael Well not only he speaks of the titles published by his editorial if not that also offers some advice to bear this crisis.

Question. - Besides writing practical and useful books for the graphical sector also it has created one editorial. Why?
Answer. - In Editions CPG (www.edicionescpg.com/blog) we dedicated ourselves to the book edition by order. In October of 1999 we decided to initiate the own work edition, like an area more of our company. In parallel with me professional activity, coexists me activity related to teaching and the investigation in theoretical contents on the graphical sector. For ten years I have been taking to the academic direction of the Masters in Design and Management of the Graphical Production in ELISAVA/IDEC Universitat Pompeu Fabra.

The masters provides an extraordinary research laboratory to me and the opportunity to work evaluating the new contents with students and the best professionals in its diverse specialties. All this conjunction of personal and collective activities, they are the base from which we have developed our new book collection titled Production of Graphical Projects.

Question. - Its last book has concentrated in the design and the graphical production. What contributes again?
Answer. - I create personally that a technical work that boasts, must evolve and consider every certain years an extended reedición. From the publishing perspective, being based on an economic question, he is not profitable (if the sales are not the adapted ones); according to an educative and faithful question to the contents it is necessary to always raise a gradual evolution to favor of the reader or student who uses these books. For that reason we did not raise second or third editions without reviewing or reediting.

In edition of 2006 east title had content independent (explanations that they initiate and they finalize in the same book), in the extended reedición the contents are structured in bases to a trazabilidad of subjects that some of them evolve gradually in other books of the collection. The collection offers a tone of common narrative voice, a trazabilidad of the subjects, a gradual evolution and a most important platform of knowledge to the service of the reader or student.

The three more important pillars of the title Design and Graphical Production are: To establish the bases of the methodology of work in the process of graphical design. To create the first cataloguing of the matters wastebaskets from the generic description of the qualities and its technical characteristics. And to establish the “Card of production” like tool in “ideal” the technical description of the processes that take part in the graphical production (contributes resolute cases).

Question. - Thematic what are analyzed in the collection?
Answer. - At the moment the collection Production of Graphical Projects this composing at the moment by six books. Its structure settles down on the basis of three lines of contents that are interacted in parallel: In the first place the four important columns of support and for the graphical sector that they are the methodology in the design process; the manufacture of the matters wastebaskets; the processes of the graphical production; and the estimation and valuation of costs.

Secondly, the chronological reflection of the sector as it bases of new concepts, tendencies and technologies. And thirdly, an approach to the technological product engineering and, bases unquestionable of the graphical sector.

Question. - It could realize a brief synopsis of the other titles of the collection?
Answer. - Without a doubt. In the Graphical Image and its Reproduction they settle down you rule necessary for the correct accomplishment of the final Art and the original one for the reproduction in the graphical design. Also it establishes the bases of the preimpression: to control the document handling, the adjustment of the images, the profiles of color, the generation of the impression matrices and the tests of color. In addition, iInforma of the norms associated to this process and introduces in the management of the color.

The book the Manufacture of the Matters Wastebaskets follows the line of the book Design and the Graphical Production (in particular of the cataloguing of generic and the qualities of matters wastebaskets) and takes to the reader towards a level of specialization in: The selection of the raw materials and the manufacture of you graze; the manufacture of the papers and the processes of finished; the second classification of products stationers: and it keeps awake the techniques used in the research laboratories, the norms and the environment.

Question. - What contributes to the book Valuation of Costs and Budgets in the Graphical Sector?
Answer. - It establishes you rule and criteria in the estimation of costs. It compares in parallel the structural costs of a study of design (of three workers) with the structure of the press dedicated to the impression offset (up to 25 workers), consider resolute cases. And it contributes a serious reflection of improvement on the structure of the present graphical sector.

As for the book Design and Impression of the Typography it offers a miscellany with texts of 16 authors of recognized prestige in his specialties. Historical and present reflection of the graphical sector from the typography and the impression. A brief but intense summary of history in format book. And a reference for the investigation.

In order to finish, the title Selection of Materials in the Process of Design supposes a precise approach and rigorous to the universe and the nature of the materials. It is a reference book and it consults before the technical prescription, intrinsic or sensorial motivation of a material in the design process. It is suitable for a multidisciplinary designer whom it investigates in the use, combination of materials for the production of a product.

Question. - Which are going to be the following titles to publish?
Answer. - At the moment we worked in five titles more. The creation of a book of these characteristics implies more of a year of work between the author and our editorial team. Therefore, just published the previous ones already we put ourselves to work with the following. The contents of these new titles are raised for a gradual evolution of the subjects treated in these six first. Our challenge settles down in which this collection in the future years is a solid platform of theoretical knowledge and the office of the graphical sector generally. For us it is a very important bet in all the levels.

Question. - How it sees the evolution of this crisis?
Answer. - “The crisis this surrounding to us with their black mantle and prevents to think us”. After this black novel description, we must be on the awares and to be coherent. History informs not very distant us that “the crises” have affected our sector of a cyclical way: technological, structural, generational, economic crises…

The problem is that the present crisis is general and affects to all the sectors of the society, that is to say, our clients. Here she is where this the problem, does not depend directly on our companies, in a first stage, finding one or another solution. But that does not mean, that we do not have to find a solution adapted to our structure, to be able to position to us suitably before this general situation. Therefore, I believe that we cannot wait for a global solution for all the sector, is no it.

On the other hand, I believe that the customary industralists of this sector this to sail with very violent storms unlike other sectors, reason why the companies of the graphical sector know like surviving. Those that can be directed towards a valid solution, will leave much more reinforced and will be more competitive in a selection of their products. Everything an enterprise challenge that imply a suitable strategy, an operative realist and a management of the resources functional to short half and length term.

Question. - And to finish an advice so that the companies bear this crisis
Answer. - In our process of investigation in contents, all the possibilities, variables, conditioners and more questions to part to evaluate all the expositions before defining a hypothesis are due to analyze. I believe that any company that needs to find a solution valid must initiate a particular process of deep reflection, that until the moment almost no has been able to realize by the infinity of conditioners of the day to day which they have brought about this situation. As the situation is important are not worth the solutions “patch”, but the solutions with basic criterion that help to half evolve to short and length term, since before I have explained.

I understand that this advice can be difficult to assimilate and to understand. From university one of the most complicated lessons and to which we must face, she is the one to transmit our students you rule necessary to analyze the history of this sector, to interpret the present situations, to understand the conditioners. All this with the difficult objective to try that the student makes decisions on his future and values as can be integrated in this sector.

The continued improvement exists a very appropriate phrase in the management of the quality “” that picks up the essence than I have explained before. Possibly one of the options to improve is to take care of the formation as it is necessary from the company and enabling to all the company to be able to have more criterion in the partial and common decision making. Without doubt it will enable to the company to see, to analyze and to act before, not after.