1_Can this theme drift to a tangential meaning that is commonly associated with the item under the light to create narrative and possibly broaden meaning..kind of like a thesaurus?

2_This theme

use iconic items found in american diners to as metaphors to approach underlying issues.

Use a very informative approach starting in the left hand side of spread, and slowly progress to the right as the items meaning either broadens or the root of the message is reached.__that would be at the very edge of the page.

the theme will make an educational experience that may affect an adult or a younger viewer. The objective is to effectively send the viewer from one end of the spread to the other and leave the final connotation up to them.

The experience of going from the denotative to the connotative should hopefully be a stretch when viewing the cover and the farthest right connotative image.

my reasoning for the use of grotesque/odd/erotic imagery in the spread of each cover is to evoke a kind of clashing mood. If this is an undesirable effect for the project I should probably find that out soon...ish

I hope to further develope this Idea to explain the effect of female archetype roles in the US middle class+more on young girls. But hopefully without to much text....just enough. Its a common subject nowadays.

I'm not a sexist

I'm just trying to learn

closed spread
open spread

this book will hopefully take the form-but not too directly represent-a menu

THIS IS A VISCOM PROTOTYPE

SKETCH
FRONT
INSIDE

this is a first attempt. I decided that instead of revising it a bunch right away, I'd just post an unfiltered attempt. that way I can get back to working on other pages.

note___A_the babies are a maybe, if the viewer is able to take the rest of the information and apply it to create their own interpretations.____B_I'm not sure how much to incorporate text....but I'll get to it after I do more visual stuff.

OK__so far, the dictionary style and the photo album style aren't very prevalent. I don't truly have the conno/denno fully seperated...or the variety image sources, but this is starting to hopefully set a kind of example for my idea.

about my viscom book

so I thought I could use a definition style for dennotative and use my wikipedia diner slang on the connotative. Is there any more room or need for additional text?

so once again. the dennotative is universal, so I'd format like a dictionary....then the connotative would be a page of tangents that could be taken on the item. This would hopefully come off as making the diner a metaphor for a broad range of subjects.

or should I just stick to the way that these iconic items have an affect on our current culture?

(simple diner explains complex issues/points viewer in that direction)

jamie, this is a proposed layout for my book. the conotative side of the spread will vary in format probably,  but mostly I wanted to create spreads for these two sides of the story. 

hope to print tomorrow

I thought a good justification for this image being my symbol would start out with the babies.

On my person, I don't generally carry an index.

I'm known for clutter, but I'd like to help the viewer understand me a little better.

Everyday I feel like I wake up in a body that remembers things it has to do, people it knows, and places its seen....I don't feel like I have a self, or a little cam inside.

I'm just overwhelmed by everything that happens to me, and always feel like I'm the student.

to everyone I know____they are teaching me, they know more than I do.

I'm more like a shell of a man that i should be..HA

so the tree and the machinery hope to describe how I try to make sense of my surroundings, however distorted my sight, or anyones sight is.....We all have our systems of understanding

this sounds like a diary_sorry.

anywho......Babies=the feeling cam gets in school, talking to his genius friends/teachers, listening to the news, knowing that what he is looking at during any given moment is(((A)-insignificant, and (B-can never be seen by anyone but him......))um), when he looses his cell phone/keys/wallet/house/pants/home-work/files.................., when he wakes up and goes to bed and talks to his genius girlfriend on the phone and when he eats alot

this might be my symbol_I don't know yet

I was thinking it might be interesting to use some termonology I found on wikepedia called....

DINER LINGO

parking lost with old cars and big family diner sign

old waitress (possibly some well kept cute old ladies, some mean grungy waitress)
old men with hats sitting together

old women sitting alone

chairs/tables booths greasy foods
locals counter top ketchup/mustard bottles
coffee breakfast foods glass coffee pots

table/chairs napkin dispenser antique coca cola signage

glass doors with signage boards indicating local activity
old crook tooth smiles salt/pepper
little kids gum-ball dispenser