File download is hosted on Megaupload
Like most publishers, I really like books. It’s not just the content of books, but also their physical form, the indeterminacy of the medium in contemporary society, and design that draws me in. As readers of this blog likely realize, the Digital Press at the University of North Dakota takes seriously the work of book making whether it is circulated as a digital file or as a paperback.
This past week, I got a chance to cruise through the La Setmana del Llibre en Català (The Week of the Book in Catalan) in Barcelona. Because I don’t really read Catalan, my experience wandering through the colorful displays was drawn to the design of the books on display (and in many cases, the shear number of offering available!)
I was particularly interested in the design of various book series. Such as these lightly designed pastel covers from Comanegra press.
Or the distinctive blue and green covers of Angel Editorial’s translations.
Or these more bold and assertive covers offered by Editorial Barcino (top) and Fonoll Edicions (below).
The simple graphic elements of this series from Godall Edicions work for me.
The simple designs used for Aida Edicions series of poetry are compelling:
As are these from Edicions 62:
Finally, the most compelling marketing strategy of the book fair was from the Institució de les Lletres Catalanes of the Catalunya Department of Culture. The had a wall of brightly colored stacks of postcard sized quotes from Catalan poets and invited folks to come and tear off quotes that spoke to them.
