Project brief: Mah Jongg: Crak, Bam, Dot! served as a companion to the exhibition Project Mah Jongg at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York. The exhibition explored the traditions, history and meanings of the game in Jewish-American culture. The book was published in collaboration with 2wice, the visual and performing arts journal.

Approach: The book is a collection of portfolios that feature imagery from the mah-jongg craze of the early 20th century and photographs of vintage sets, tiles and other ephemera. The designer commissioned guest artists to interpret the game through their distinct sensibilities. Fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi sketched mah-jongg-inspired ensembles; Maira Kalman illustrated a “mah-jongg murder mystery”; Bruce McCall created “Miami Mah-Jongg,” juxtaposing ancient Chinese figures and a group of Jewish women; and Christoph Neimann designed tile iconography combining the visual language of mah-jongg with symbols of Jewish life. The book was designed with the proportions and rounded corners of a mah-jongg tile.

Effectiveness: The catalogue is a unique interpretation and expansion of the exhibition, one of the museum’s most popular to date.

Who knew linen paper could look so amazing?! Beautifully designed and expertly printed.