6 rules for stunning book design

04. Collaborate with the best partners

“This is a call to battle: we’re fighting mediocrity,” said copywriter Mark Tungate

“This is a call to battle: we’re fighting mediocrity,” said copywriter Mark Tungate

The book size is 23x33 cms. It's been printed using Fedrigoni papers. There's white silkscreen printed over black paper, Siro Nero. Then there's about 160 pages printed on offset paper, Arcoset WW.

One section, 'Believe' is printed over Symbol freelife, coated with a high glossy varnish that creates a beautiful contrast with the other pages, visually and tactile.

Inside the book there are a few knick knacks, including a poster illustrated by Hey Studio and a booklet 'Punishment for the Uncreative' by Mucho.

There are also gatefolds and other tricky sections… There are some where you have to fold pages of the book in the right part to discover the real message, or hidden enigmas and mysteries…

05. Don't cave under pressure

The book contains 15 inspirational commandments and five sins, illustrated by a range of exciting designers and artists

The book contains 15 inspirational commandments and five sins, illustrated by a range of exciting designers and artists

When you're doing something for OFFF, you know it's going to have a lot of visibility – not just in numbers; you know that the right people from the community will be checking it out – so you can get nervous. But the trick is to let it go and try to do something good.

This isn't aimed at a massive target. It's aimed at the people who really like OFFF. Everyone getting a copy of this book is somehow part of the family, so the aim here is to do something that can make them feel as part of it.

06. The fine details make it special

Every copy of the book is hand-numbered: only 3,000 were created

Every copy of the book is hand-numbered: only 3,000 were created

There's many details in the book that are very important to me: the tiny things that make everything stick together. Some of them will be almost invisible for the reader but they're there. There are weird numeration devices, awesome contributions, enigmatic games and a lot of things to engage the reader.

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Words: Julia Sagar

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