Experimental Formats - Johnathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach
Experimental Formats was chosen as my option module in Semester one of Second year. We where all asked to find a piece of text and think about the meaning behind the text; this meaning would then become the proposition and would deterim the format of this finished book.
I chose Johnathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach and decided that the proposition was that it was all about being awkward and not fitting in, something which then reflected itself through the whole book.
The book cover is made from 3mm sheet aluiminium, cut to size and filed before being rolled through the metal press to give the book a slight curve, causing it to never lie flat and not sit flush next to any other book on the shelf. Once it was rolled, it was then covered with a plae blue book cloth to reflect the sky that Johnathan flies so freely in.
The shape of the book means that it doesn't stand up be itself. The awkwardness runs throughout the whole book, with each line of type being set at a different angle to the previous and ignoring many typographic rules. The book is meant to make you feel frustrated and as you can see in the shelf photos, it really does stand out on the shelf.
