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Design Category
Book design, 2003
Design firm
COMA (Amsterdam, New York)
Collection
(2004) 50 Books/50 Covers of 2003
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The Smiths: Tony, Kiki, Seton assembles under one roof major works by the renowned modernist artist Tony Smith and his daughters—Kiki Smith, whose multimedia works have drawn on mythic, folk, and biblical stories, and photographer Seton Smith, known for her large-format Cibachromes of seemingly banal interiors. For the first time, works by all three Smiths appear together, presenting one American family, two generations of the vanguard, three distinct visions, and the exigencies of a range of media. Our design task was to combine three distinct visions, and an extensive range of media, in the museum catalog that would accompany the exhibition at the Palm Beach Institute of Contemporary Art in Lake Worth, Florida.
The design and cost-saving solution was to separate the three artists, printing the plate section on glossy paper and the essay sections in one color on a matte paper stock. The size of the book is based on Seton’s work, the typography is based on Tony’s work, and the cover material and color use are based on Kiki’s work.
“Thoughtful, conceptual consideration of a family of artists. I love how the generic, uncoated gray paper plays on the name "Smith"; how the velvet cover reinforces the art’s tactility, the play on the tree names throughout the book—all reinforced by careful typography and an object that folds gently in the hand.” Cheryl Towler Weese