Partial Press is a scrappy, experimental publishing venture run by two people. The press publishes work that is radical in form or content, preferably both. The press needed an identity that reflects this mission, but with a dose of self-deprecating humor and a clunky simplicity that makes its message easier to swallow. The window mark plays with grand conceptual ideas of publishing providing a view into another place or time or mind, but it has been obstructed by the familiar frustration of unruly horizontal blinds. The primary logo, without text, is a blank slate suitable for an organization that promotes a variety of works with their own visual identity. It is unclear whether the viewer is looking into or out of the window; if Partial Press brings a view of the world to the reader, or if it is itself a curious spectacle.
The Partial Press identity includes an animated version of the logo, beginning as a black void and ending with the complete wordmark. The short animation fills in the story implied by the logo, and transforms from an ultra-minimal, modernist mark to the quirky, clunky final logo. The logo is designed to take advantage of the current vogue for micro-animations on social media platforms. The mark’s minimalism and flexibility also make it ideal for special versions to promote projects or celebrate events with different colors or imagery within the window frame.
The Partial Press website is minimal to showcase and unify the variety within the content. The site articulates Partial Press’ democratic mission; it is built to accommodate old computers and outdated browsers. The code has few frills, but there are simple, humorous surprises in rollover states or the written copy. The catalog of publications and projects is designed for the specific challenges of artists’ books and experimental publications. The catalog looks almost like an art portfolio site, with long descriptions and thorough documentation of projects contained within unified modules.
The site has an integrated customized PayPal store and Tumblr feed embedded as the News page, allowing the Partial Press editor, who has no web experience, to handle the site’s day-to-day updates.
The Partial Press mobile site was designed from the ground up, rather than being derived from the browser version with a responsive design. The screen’s format lends itself to some playful visual opportunities with the Partial Press logo as well as challenges in presenting photos and sustained texts that warranted separate attention. Likewise, certain elements that give the desktop site its blocky, solid feel are unnecessary in the restricted environment of the mobile site.
