A Book Is A Body II
2018
Book Design
PROJECT CONCEPT
A Book Is A Body is an editorial project, which shows the similarities between a book and a body through three parts: Skin, Flesh and Soul. Skin Affairs talks about the form and appearance of a book and why parts of a book are named after the anatomy of a human body. Flesh Out explores the concept of paper, a material made up of fibres which is similar to the flesh. Inner Soul talks about the intangible aspect of a book; the way a book is written, the intimate relationship between a reader and a book. A book is almost like a person – has a personality and a tone of voice. All of which, makes a book a body.
DESIGN AND ART DIRECTION
In terms of art direction, the general aesthetic and tone of the project revolves around the idea of the dissection of a body. The intention behind the color choices and visuals is to express a slightly gory and macabre style, with a twist of contemporary feel using clean and bold choice of typography.
PUBLICATION: A Book Is A Body
Through the concept of A Book Is A Body, the publication talks about books in a design point of view via three aspects: the physical, material and intangible aspects of a book. Other than relating a book to a body in terms of the three layers, the publication also highlights several interesting examples of book design. All in hopes of bringing a new perspective as to how a book can be perceived today and how books can be reevaluated and redesigned in the future.
BOOK SCULPTURE: Skin Affairs
Skin Affairs is an artistic book created in relation to the first chapter in the publication. It is based on the concept of how our skin wraps around the body, giving it its structure and form. The entire book is made up of teabags, which resembles dried skin. Sheets of teabags were layered and bound on both sides to represent how skin wraps around our body. The only way to open the book is by tearing from the center. The action of tearing the pages communicates the idea of peeling and revealing what is underneath the skin.
BOOK SCULPTURE: Flesh Out
Flesh Out is created from the second chapter of the publication. It is based on the concept of paper having memory, it ages like the body and it is alive. The book is made up of the collection of different ephemerals, which had marks on them. “PAPER HAS A LIFE” appears on every page of the book. However, through each page, the background shows different collage of the ephemerals, conveying the idea that every paper has a life.
BOOK SCULPTURE: Inner Soul
Inner Soul is an artistic book created in relation to the last chapter of the publication. A book is a body and words are like its soul. A book is like a person, it has its own personal voice. A book tells a story, it speaks to us. This is conveyed through the idea of sound. Having inscripted handwritings and sound shows how the soul cannot be seen but only felt. The size of the book also suggests the idea of intimacy and going closer to understand the soul of a book.
