Day 16 #100DaysStudioObj

I have a lot of wonderful books in my studio shelved on one of those seemingly ubiquitous IKEA Expedit bookcases (which also frequently doubles as a bike rack). I'll feature a few for #The100DayProject.

(If you're just joining me, I'm picking an object in my studio each day, taking a snapshot and blogging about it as #100DaysStudioObj. I chose this as my project because: I want to make more, blog more, and explore motivation and process.)

"Robert Brownjohn Sex and Typography" by Emily King is a fantastic book. The cover is a stunner, but because it is metallic and scuffed, I wasn't able to get a good image of it. It depicts work live action work Brownjohn did for the opening titles of Goldfinger.

There is lots to admire in "Sex and Typography": the grid layout is easy on the eyes with elegant use of whitespace. The book's organization is such that although it is a chronology of Brownjohn's life with dates running down one column and supporting text in the next, it reads like an biography with frequent quotes from designers, friends, and family of BJ. Then of course there is the work itself which is outstanding. It's a great book to both read and simply leaf through.

The pages get me thinking about bold design that is achieved out of simplicity. Remixing, cropping, resizing all play a role in the effectiveness of BJ's work. Leafing through it again today I feel the urge to start tinkering and reworking projects I thought were finished. And also: designing a publication. I love the grid.