“Typography is to literature as musical performance is to composition: an essential act of interpretation, full of endless opportunity for insight or obtuseness... Typography at its best is a slow performing art, worthy of the same informed appreciation that we sometimes give to musical performances, and capable of giving similar enrichment and pleasure in return.”
Robert Bringhurst, The Elements of Typographic Style
Prompt
Create a modern “chap book,” meaning, a small booklet traditionally filled with literature. The final result should be 12-24 pages on 5.5” by 8.5” inch paper, printed and bound. The subject matter can be virtually anything, but should be personal to the designer.
Interpretation
This project prompt was simply to create a Chapbook, or rather, a small book commonly found in the 1500s when printing became a more accessible medium. For the past two years, I had been writing a blog to help reflect on and share my day-to-day thoughts on spirituality and the like.
I was never fully satisfied with how these writings were only in the digital sphere and I wanted them to feel as meaningful as they were to me.
Action
To decide which of the 100 plus blog posts would be right for this medium, I used the “Seven Deadly Sins” as my theme. To reflect this, I chose narrow fonts with harsh terminals for definitions of the sins as well as rich colors that were commonly associated with each. These were juxtaposed with my personal writings on opposing themes with a lighter feeling font and color choice. For the composition, I used Bringhurst’s tried-and-true formulas and some experimentation. I printed and bound the book in a simple saddle-stitch. I included a handmade bright orange and red paper made by a local artist to frame the internal pages to add some “sinful” intrigue.
