Content to Cover: The Design of Books

3 units

This studio course considers the design and poetics of books in their totality. Projects engage in depth with book pacing and sequence, page composition, typographic detail, images, and construction. Assignments invite students to interrogate the book form and explore its materiality and object quality. Coursework addresses print production, binding methods in industry, and bookbinding techniques. Visits to two campus library special collections, a research assignment, relevant readings and discussion will guide students in building a critical book design vocabulary. Work will be evaluated based on participation, process, conceptual thinking, visual application to form, and craft.