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Design Category
Book design, 2003
Design firm
de.MO (New York, New York)
Collection
(2004) 50 Books/50 Covers of 2003
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Flip-O-Rama: Italia is a concept, an idea. It is a project without a client, born within de.Mo’s publishing house. Giorgio Barravalle and his wife, Lisa, brought the book to life in order to have fun. Giorgio’s Italian heritage made producing a series on Italians an obvious choice — how to proceed was a more complicated proposition. Since Italians are by nature full of life, the book would have to be as well. It had to embody movement and energy. It had to capture Italian life — Italian expression.
Choosing the best photographer for the job was paramount. It had to be someone who could understand the purpose of the project and infuse it with the humor necessary to make its audience smile. Elliott Erwitt proved to be a good choice, given his ironic eye and slightly sarcastic take on the world around him. Unique solutions are de.Mo’s trademark. Flip-O-Rama blended playful, tactile and fun qualities, producing a series of heartwarming visual feasts. They give reader/viewer the desire to handle and touch them. They create a visual experience.
Making the concepts a reality presented a challenge. The printing process was complex and filled with hurdles. Lining up the pages for the animation to work was difficult. The struggles proved to be worthwhile, producing a beautifully embossed boxed set of eighteen small flipbooks. If it makes the reader smile, it has achieved its goal.
“Although it is difficult to get past the impracticality of this collection, I had to appreciate it! From gelato to traffico, it is engaging.” Isabel Warren-Lynch