Emil Milan: Midcentury Master

Role: Creative Direction + Design

Including:

Branding

Book Design

Website

Social Media

Copywriting

Illustration

Photo Direction

Kickstarter Campaign

Advertising

Press Kits

Industry: Art + Culture

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Illustrated Artist Biography

The Center for Art in Wood
in collaboration with the
Emil Milan Research Project

Philadelphia, PA, USA

9 x 11 in.

272 pages

Hardback

Standard, Limited,
and Collector’s Editions

“I believe everything I make should be as good as it can be…”

When the Center for Art in Wood approached Wonderfull Design to do a book about Emil Milan, our first question was, Who? Such is the story of a Midcentury Modern master woodworker, craftsman, teacher, and artist. Milan was a significant influencer of the US Studio Craft Movement of the late 50s and 60s, yet most people have never heard of him. As we read the manuscript, we learned about an artist who sold his wares in Pottery Barn and gave lectures at the flagship store in Manhattan. We also learned that his work was shown alongside Charles Eames, Wendell Castle, and George Nakashima (to name a few). The challenge: Bring this relatively unknown artist out of obscurity, long after his death.

With a small budget and high expectations, we decided to make a book worthy of the master. Initial client direction called for a letter-size, softcover book, totaling no more than 118 pages, and printed through a trade publisher. Understanding this would not do to elevate an unknown artist, we collaborated with our client to launch and manage a Kickstarter campaign. The funds successfully raised on Kickstarter covered a more elevated publication. This book, which is still for sale, was released in a standard, limited, and collector’s edition, and won four awards.

The book was designed to tell a connected chronological story, accentuated by artworks, quotes, and historical photos. Inspired by midcentury modern design, in which Milan worked, the book uses a flexible grid, a humanist typeface, and flat colors representative of the era. A full alphabet of the artist’s handwriting was redrawn to bring his personality directly into the book. Also, illustrated, are the endpapers and chapter openers, which reflect shapes found in Milan’s work. Outlined artwork photos showcase the gentle, organic forms, and continuous curves that are trademark features of Milan’s works.