The Society of Graphic Designers of Canada The Look of The Book

The Look of The Book

Ashlea Spitz, September 24, 2009 at 12:22 AM

For centuries book lovers have known that books are more than words on paper. If you are one of those people then you won’t want to miss these masters exploring the art of the book.

Robert Bringhurst, Audrey Niffenegger, Anik See and Seth

Host: Jerry Wasserman

For these four, every element that contributes to the book as object—the look, the feel, the paper, the design—is integral to what the book is about. Robert Bringhurst wrote the bible on typographic style; Audrey Niffenegger has taught bookmaking for two decades; Anik See designs, makes and restores books; and Seth is an internationally acclaimed illustrator and book designer. At a time when book production threatens to move to pixels on screens, it is important to hear from people who care deeply about books as physical objects.

Don't miss this incredible talk at the 2009 Vancouver International Writers' Festival

Check the full list of events at www.writersfest.bc.ca

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Isabelle Swiderski(2 years ago)

Sadly this talk was far from enlightening. M. Bringhurst seemed bored half the time and I, for one, didn't blame him one bit. The conversation, whilst occasionally punctuated with flashes of insight, revolved mostly around extremely broad observations about the difference between reading in print or on the screen. M. Bringhurst attempted a few times to broach the topic of narrative and how stories which only exist as part of an oral tradition might differ from those told in books, but to no avail. Whilst some of the work shown was interesting, there was little discussion about the design process and how it might influence the experience of the book as an object and reading as an activity that can involve all of the senses. I applaud the effort to include this topic as part of a festival aimed at such a varied audience. In this instance however I deplored the lack of meaningful discussion and what seemed like a reluctance to engage fully with issues of craft and design for fear of being too specialised. Perhaps next year?

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