Brief 5 // Notebooks // Elastic Band binding method

The first binding technique that I am going to use for the first notebook uses an elastic band. The use of an elastic band binds the book together, but it isn't just put over the spine, it is in a way stitched through the pages to attach them all together, but at the same time makes the pages removable if wanted.

As I had only seen an image of this binding technique in the finished publication and I couldn't find any information on the name of this bind or how to create it, I just decided to give it a go and try work it out myself.

In order to create the elastic band bind, I used a strong piece of card to act as a back page, then used normal copier paper as the pages within the book. To form the bind i used a ruler, hole puncher, scissors and of course an elastic band. 

This was the result of the bind, which I was really happy as I didnt think I would be able to work it out and for it to actually work, but I did! The elastic band i used in this mock up wasn't really long enough, hence why the pages are a little buckled at the top of the publication. 

In order to create the bind and get the elastic band to weave through the pages, holes and slots had to be cut into the pages of the publication. This allowed the elastic band to fasten around the bulk of the inner pages, the slots allowed the elastic band to go through the back page which attaches it all together. 

As you can see here all the holes and slots had to line up with each other in order to make it successful. The back page only has holes punches into it, this is because the elastic band only weaves through this section. The two middle holes line up with them of the inner pages and the other two holes had to line up with the slots within the inner pages. 

To bind the publication together it was fairly simple, but a little tricky working with the elastic band. Firstly the elastic band goes around the bulk of the inner pages, this slots into the half cut circle on the bottom of the publication, once the elastic band reaches the slot, the whole band goes through the hole in the back page, this is then threaded back through the hole in all the pages.  

Once it has been threaded back through to the front of the publication, it then stretches across the front of the publication and threaded back through the next holes to the back page again. This then threads through the hole in the back page and through the slots in the inner pages, to stretch to the top of the publication and slot into the half cut circle. 

This creates the final bind shown above. 

With this experimentation shown above, I used an A4 format, which proved to be too big, the pages were buckling under the tension of the elastic band weaved through the pages. This method will work best at a smaller scale, I think A5 will be best. 

Also from feedback from other peers within the group, most people would rather use an A5 or smaller notebook that an A4.