Celebrating 30 years of philanthropy...
Victor Smorgon AC (1913-2009) was an industrialist and one of Australia’s most generous philanthropists. He immigrated to Australia from the Ukraine in 1927. He and his family started a kosher butchery which eventually grew to a business empire. He and his wife Loti Smorgon gave back to then community generously. One of their legacies is the Victor Smorgon Charitable Fund which aims to impact the lives of many. The fund supports children and young people, healthcare, people from diverse and migrant communities, and people at risk of homelessness.
The Victor Smorgon Charitable Fund approached Think HQ with a brief to design a commemorative book to celebrate their 30 year anniversary.
As the sole designer on this project, I created three design options to provide not only different aesthetic options, but also a range of price points the client could choose from, ranging from a beautiful hardcover slip-cased book, to a more economic paperback option.
Unfortunately, this project did not go ahead, which is a shame because I think whichever concept was chosen would have provided a beautiful outcome.
Direction 1: Luxe option
This direction uses a muted, but warm colour palette to create an elegant, yet contemporary tribute to VSCF. Using premium finishing techniques such as cloth book binding, gloss foiled text, and specialised paper options, all housed in a stylish slip case, this publication will be one to treasure. The soft colour palette speaks to a lifetime of compassion and care, while the feature typeface gives the design a modern flavour suitable for an organisation heavily involved in supporting the arts.
Direction 2: Mid-range option
This direction is a more conservative take on style. It uses a classic serif typeface and a palette of blues and bronze to create a premium and timeless design appropriate for a significant organisation. This option would still incorporate high-end finishing techniques such as cloth binding and gloss foiled text on the spine, but the costs would be reduced through less specialised paper on the internal pages, and no slip case.
Direction 3: Economical option
This direction is modern and sophisticated. The bold use of colour gives this design a confident energy, while the distinctive typeface is contemporary, yet timeless. In order to keep costs down, this direction features a soft cover. However, the paper would be a specialty uncoated paper with flaps on the front and back covers to ensure the book still feels luxe and has presence. It also features a wrap-around on the cover.
CREDITS: I worked on this project as an employee of Think HQ.
