Perspectives on Contemporary Aesthetics is the first book published by RISD's own press, RISD Shortruns. The book gathers selected articles from the online academic journal Contemporary Aesthetics (www.contempaesthetics.org) in the past twelve years. It is a translation of contents from the digital platform to printed matter. I worked on every detail of the book design under the guidance of Nancy Skolos.
The book design takes the initial concept of QR codes from the clients Pradeep Sharma and Yuriko Saito, and translates the graphic language of QR codes into structural systems for dynamic layout in both local and global designs throughout the book. I designed a modular grid based on the structure of the QR code of the online journal's url link, and the book is correspondingly a perfect square. Footnotes are organized at the four corners of each page for immediate reference. The design also utilizes QR codes as functional means for ready access to the original publication throughout the book, that readers can simply scan the QR code to access the webpages of the original articles as well as images sourced from creative commons. It initiates the dialogue between the analog and the digital, and provides an active reading experience for the readers.
The fact that this was an actual produced piece was very rewarding. Consistent visual language and solid final execution.