Thoughts and Reflections
This is a book project that I have worked on for over 2 years with the client. It was one of the most satisfying projects I've ever undertaken.
The book was a collection of writings of a lifetime. The 78 year old client had been writing seriously since the age of 19 and had culled what I know were hundreds of writings down to a little over one hundred. My first job was to read everything, decide what should go into the book, decide if it was poetry or prose, lay it out, and do all the editing and punctuation. No easy job, but oh so rewarding.
Then all that was left was to set it up (InDesign), apply my graphic genious to it, and decide on critical artistic treatments involving handlettering and illustration, tear the pages, print the book, then hand-letter crucial pages and add original bits and pieces here and there ...... oh yeah, then bind the book.
The book was a collection of writings of a lifetime. The 78 year old client had been writing seriously since the age of 19 and had culled what I know were hundreds of writings down to a little over one hundred. My first job was to read everything, decide what should go into the book, decide if it was poetry or prose, lay it out, and do all the editing and punctuation. No easy job, but oh so rewarding.
Then all that was left was to set it up (InDesign), apply my graphic genious to it, and decide on critical artistic treatments involving handlettering and illustration, tear the pages, print the book, then hand-letter crucial pages and add original bits and pieces here and there ...... oh yeah, then bind the book.
Lead in page: "Great thoughts are like great storms; they come when least expected. With their pensive rains they cleanse the mind of dogma; with their winds of reflection they drive the soul through a sea of doubt, and in the inevitable calm that follows, they seem to say, 'Well done.'"
Title page: The page is hand-lettered and 24K gold leaf was used to enhance the oak leaf, so that you can see reflections flicker here and there. Cake gold was used in the "T" and "R" for emphasis.
The book was parcelled into four sections: Life, Death, Family, and Love. Some of his favorite quotes were used to enhance pages throughout the book.
Because I did not want the type and lettering to show through the Arches Text Wove hand-torn pages, I only printed on one side of the page, leaving the backside for an occassional hand lettered short quote or passage.
On some pages, I scanned some of the old original writings and applied them to the pages, knowing how special it will be in years to come for children and grandchildren to see the handwriting of their beloved patriarch, and see that his passion was so great for writing that he took every opportunity to scribble down his "meanderings" as he called them.
"Widowed" lines were used to fill in spaces when needed. This quote, by the way, he had engraved on a bracelet for his dear wife. The romance of it all!!!!
To keep it interesting and have unexpected elements appear without taking away from words, I added some tiny little depictions ....
Each parcel had it's own title page, sumi ink with 24K gold enhancement.
The poetry was broken with pages of prose or discussion to keep reading at optimal level.
This old clipping was placed opposite a prayer of thanks that he had written for the love of his sister, who passed away suddenly years ago. It was the last thing that she put on his desk before she left the office that last day.
An elegant coptic binding with open spine was chosen to compliment the elegant words of the book. Beeswaxed linen thread was used to hold the pages between the covers of aged papyrus and black goatskin leather. The leather string was added as the perfect bookmark.
