Tree of Codes by Jonathan Safran Foer from Visual Editions on Vimeo.
Tree of Codes by Jonathan Safran Foer: Making Of from Visual Editions on Vimeo.
So, I found this project by chance this weekend and I got so excited. I know that many of you are interested in publication design and I had to share this. The book, Tree of Codes, is a story made of die cuts within the story of another book, The Street of Crocodiles. First, please watch both videos- the first one is Jonathan Safran Foer speaking about his idea and the development of the book, while the second is footage on the making of the book at the printers. Second, here is the publisher for Foers book (and my dream job) at Visual Editions. Check their their website out as well!
I really love that Foer has a great interest in the book having a "conversation about what is possible with literature and paper." I agree that publications do not just have to be one sided with greatness, whether that be the story or the design. That the books need to be just as visually interesting as their stories- I feel the same currently with the publication I am working on. These are both disciplines that compliment each other so well and Foer has done a beautiful job at reinventing our notion of both. I also came across this idea of "visual writing" when looking through these two websites and it struck me as a term I had never heard before, nor could completely grasp. Was it a new form of writing through visuals or just a new text format? So in looking this up, I found from the VE website was that it is a "writing that uses visual elements as an integral part of the writing itself. Visual elements can come in all shapes and guises: they could be crossed out words, or photographs, or die-cuts, or blank pages, or better yet something we haven’t seen. The main thing is that the visuals aren’t gimmicky, decorative or extraneous, they are key to the story they are telling. And without them, that story would be something altogether different." Its turning to a new definition of writing, being called a visual revolution. Which, then led me to this article by Ellen Lupton from AIGA (sorry about all of the links, they just fit so well together!) that discusses using design as a tool for new college curriculum in writing classes. If you have the time, please read it: "Introducing the principles of web design and typography shouldn’t replace teaching writing as a precise, rule-based medium of communication. In the digital age, people are writing more, not less. The alphabet isn’t dead; it just has a lot more company."
The clip above was very interesting to watch. So many machines and the details that were transferred onto the paper was fascinating to watch. The overall process seemed very intense.
ReplyDeleteWow, this is a pretty deep topic. What interests me is how this connects to so many different design ideas. The fact that he is writing a story within a story, one that has already been written, is something that most designers do. We all wright stories and often borrow ideas or pieces from other works re-appropriate them. Foer's work seems like it is very time consuming and particular. I'm impressed just by the amount of time it must take him to do something like this. I really like that quote at the end, that design should not replace writing but rather complement it. In fact, I feel both are necessary in any discipline in order to keep both halves of the brain sharp.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE Jonathan Safran Foer! Not only is he an amazing writer, but all of his books have really artistic layouts and graphic elements. If any of you are looking for a really good, informative read of his, Eating Animals is a great book. Very cool visual statistics incorporated throughout.
ReplyDeleteWhat a cool idea. I'm for anything that keeps print alive and well.
ReplyDeleteI had commented on someone else's post with reference to this book! Awesome find.
ReplyDeletegreat idea. I agree with all above comments. hard to add much more to it.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed seeing the videos. I am taking Publication Design next quarter so I am now even more excited about it!
ReplyDeleteWow what a great idea and concept. I love the idea of finding a story within and story. His craft is impeccable and I am sure the amount of though into how to cut the pages so that they align was difficult. The craft alone makes me want to read the book!
ReplyDeleteThis is amazing, this must have taken quite a long time and also a lot of patience while doing it!
ReplyDeleteI have never heard of books like this, it's amazing. I would never think to cut out the words that someone already wrote. The videos are good for giving me insight into this technique.
ReplyDeleteI've seen this book before! So inspiring, it really opens up new doors in the field of publication design!
ReplyDeleteI had to read one of Foer's books in high school and I've been a fan since. I didn't know anything about this side of him, so glad you showed me. He's awesome!
ReplyDeletei love how methodical his approach is to his books. this is a great example of how print still serves a purpose in the design world.
ReplyDeleteThe planning that goes into this... blows my mind.
ReplyDelete