Book design is a special passion, whether it's a layflat artbook or a zine or a novel, I love getting my hands dirty in InDesign. It's about creating a system to beautifully convey a concept, and the satisfaction of holding a printed book is unparalleled.
The following projects are an example of some of the more custom work I've done, but I am also a big fan of Bringhurst, and I consider traditional novel design a delight as well.
Lunch on the Moon
During the pandemic, my office switched to remote work. One of the minor effects of this change was that people started announcing their lunch breaks in Slack. I work with a lot of creative people. Before long, my coworkers were announcing their lunch breaks in the form of poetry.
As a secret project between me (the designer) my boss (the illustrator) and one other coworker to organize us, this was our pandemic holiday gift for everyone at Moonfarmer: a book of lunchtime poetry written by all of us.
The Contents of your Fanny Pack
I carry a fanny pack every single day, everywhere I go. The items in it are very specific and mostly useful. This personal writing project examines each item and paints a picture of who I am based on my daily carry.
I laid out the written piece in a pocket sized book and got thirty copies printed. For half of them, I sewed a custom cover that is made of the same material as my fanny pack, and applied an iron-on custom illustration in lieu of a title.
Mask Zone
During the pandemic, I saw discarded masks on the ground all over my town. This was a genre of litter that appeared suddenly and I knew would disappear again in a few years, possibly never to return. I documented the phenomenon and accumulated photos of over a hundred masks as trash.
In 2024, when the mask trash had significantly dwindled, I compiled these into a photo book with the addition of eight poignant journal entries typed on my grandmother's typewriter and scanned. This is an unpublished project. If anyone wants to change that, my contact form is below.
