“Individual letters, words and phrases are treated as shapes that sometimes form objects, and thus are to be read as well as seen as compositional elements. Both the visual and verbal aspects are significant and inseparable,” writes Dennis Y. Ichiyama in the introduction of the booklet that describes a series of limited edition prints that the artist created.
Inspiration for this series, called “TYPOGRAMS,” comes from Chinese seals; Chinese printing and calligraphy; and in particular, a body of work (Apollinaire’s Calligrames) by French poet and artist Guillaume Apollinaire.
The 5.25” x 8.5” perfect bound booklet is a stunning example of how a well-conceived idea can be beautifully executed with surprisingly simple production techniques.
Here, we have a “two-color” look digitally printed in CMYK on a Xerox DocuColor 700: predominantly black plus appropriate touches of a red used for the Chinese seals. French folded text pages evoke the notion of old world luxury.
Paper selection is an essential element to the success of the booklet – Neenah’s Esse Pearlized Silver Smooth 105 lb. Cover lends a sense of exclusivity while the Gmund Treasury Porcelain 82 lb. Text offers a silken hand.
Since the booklet is this lovely, I can only imagine how wonderful the prints were.
TYPOGRAMS was featured as a Paper Inspiration.
