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Design Category
Book design, 1997
Design firm
Marc English: Design (Austin, Texas)
Collection
(1998) 50 Books/50 Covers of 1997
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The title of this exhibition catalogue of photo-based art served as my inspiration. A translucent cover came to mind immediately when I heard the word “luminous.” For “code,” I drew upon camera F-stop settings and developing instructions—all codes to those who understand them, namely photographers. The stuff of the photographic process was also used in my introductory collages: silver tape, masking tape, Polaroid prints, a Hasselblad, and viewfinders.
The display typography apes F-stops. Inks are metallic. The display of the exhibition pieces places the artists’ work at the fore, as it should be, with supporting text, though somewhat stylized, kept to a minimum. The remaining cover and supplementary spreads I have tried to approached as my own version of “photo-based art.” The printer did a great job printing on both sides of the translucent dust jacket, marrying it with the actual cover images. Everybody’s happy.