Role: Creative Direction + Design

Book Design

Industry: Art + Culture

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Illustrated Critical Essays

Craft Now in collaboration with Schiffer Publishing | Philadelphia, PA | USA

8.25 x 10.75 in.

208 pages

Hardback, Swiss binding, stitched with orange thread, and houses a matching orange ribbon bookmark

Assignment: Create a book that captures the essence of contemporary craft in Philadelphia — a city so complex and wonderful, that the city itself should serve as a supporting role in visual storytelling.

The concept for this book comes directly from an essay within it.

Don Miller, a woodworker, and educator, writes, “The city surprises with treasures of material culture at every turn. The ghosts of generations of woodworkers, metalsmiths, and potters are our invisible companions as we make our work among the shops in which they labored ... cultures of making — are manifest in our day-to-day surroundings.”

By using this passage as a foundation, the concept of merging the past and present began to take shape. Throughout the book, the design confronts the reader with the juxtaposition of Philadelphia’s historical significance with contemporary mastery.

The book uses typography to call attention to the craft of original typesetting design — from the folios to the essay titles and author credits (which appear in a Colonial-era script). Formally designed chapter openers use a modern serif — justified with extreme care. These opening passages appear over the “ghosted” images of Philadelphia’s past. Most of the ghosted images reside in the public domain and are reproductions of etchings found in books about Philadelphia published in the 1800s. The inside front cover endpapers feature an interior view of Independence Hall, while the inside back cover endpapers feature what is now the Philadelphia Museum of Art. History is inescapable.

Photo essays — boldly arranged throughout the book — provide an extraordinary perspective into the makers of today, expertly photographed by Jessica Kourkounis. Large, full-bleed images, bright colors, and bold typography show the reader what an exciting city Philadelphia is, was, and — continues to be — for artists and makers of all kinds. The cutting edge of contemporary craft resides in Philadelphia today. Vibrant and engaging.

To call further attention to the craft of bookmaking, Swiss binding, colored thread, a ribbon bookmark, along with embossed title on the front cover all work together to elevate details many readers might otherwise never notice and offer a more tactile experience.

AWARDS

Silver | 2021 | Print Books | Graphis Design Annual

Silver | 2020 | Typography | Indigo Design Awards

Bronze | 2020 | Book Design | Indigo Design Awards