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Design Category
Book design, 1997
Design firm
University of California Press (Oakland, California)
Collection
(1998) 50 Books/50 Covers of 1997
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This collection of powerful images by fifty-five East German photographers demanded a reconsideration of all aspects of the design. The need for duotones and fine paper on a small print run precluded a large-format book. Instead, a 7 x 10 trim was reduced to near-square dimensions, offering an unusual shape and surrounding both horizontal and vertical images with similar blocks of white space. Staggered placement allows the varied images to be viewed independently. Typography adheres to a clean, ordered grid with occasional modern twists, acknowledging the mixed influences of the era from which the photos originate.