THE SOCIAL CONTRACT

Art In Book.

As part of my Master’s Degree program, I wrote and designed 2 hardcover books for my year-long thesis project called The Social Contract. These books were selected to be featured in the inaugural edition of Art in Book — a publication celebrating the best book designs in the world. Additionally, the books were chosen to feautre in a group design show at the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.

Thesis Books.

Subtle details of my thesis books include: a meticulous grid system based off the proportion of newspapers, color palettes derived from 18th century art and internal pages that are printed on bible paper which are French-folded allowing for fore-edge printing.

More details about the research and production of these books can be seen below.

100% Handcrafted.

The entire project is handcrafted. No commercial printer or external vendor was used. Both books are hand bound in book cloth using traditional book binding techniques. I constructed a hardcover slipcase with hand-embossed details that house both books.

Interior Details.

End sheets featured the grid system used for the interior pages and are hand-scored. Interior pages are French-folded and include printing on the fore-edge and include a custom illustrated pattern. The last page of the book includes a pull-out infographic of all identity categorization terms used in the book.

A Year-Long Process.

I spent 1 year researching, planning, writing and creating these books. I was drawn to the book On the Social Contract, by Genevan philosopher, Jean Jacques Rousseau which prompted me to research the topic of political and social revolutions.

Rousseau’s original text was written in the 18th century, but I found many similarities about identity classification in modern day literature — especially within news reporting.

  • Topic Research

  • Grid System Research

  • Inspiration Gathering

  • Technique Research

  • Materials Research

  • Color Research

  • Pattern Research

  • Categorization System

  • Identification System Test

  • Identification Research

  • Cover Test

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