“The precious and secretive nature of love and loving, as described by the author in her poems, is reflected in the design of the cover which becomes a hidden treasure to discover and to behold….The design reinforced that the concept of love found – and/or love lost – is bound by a thread.”
– Mayda Freije Makdessi, Designer
The romantic souls at Beirut’s Communica Design transformed the poetic verse and watercolor paintings of Beirut artist Afaf Zurayk into a light and airy 56-page meditation on love and all its complications.
Held closed with a snug-fitting, watercolor-painted belly band, the brochure’s soft Marcate Tintoretto outer cover with felt marked finish and deckled edges further enhances the dreamlike quality of the 19 color paintings within.
And like any dream, the cover turns out not to be all that it seems. Why, we might ask, do we not see the Singer sewn binding on the outside of the brochure? Because Beirut printer Calligraph has cleverly bound one of the author’s paintings to the inside pages and then folded it over twice to create a double-thick cover. As an added benefit, you can enjoy the painting uninterrupted by the binding running through the center.
Ultimately, the cottony paper and gentle watercolors make the “Lovesong” chapbook – limited to just 1,000 copies – the print equivalent of spying a former lover through the rain-slicked window of a warm café. Ain’t love grand?
