What you can’t see from this picture is the texture of the spine. It feels like canvas, maybe? And the front and back cover are offset from it a bit? So many question marks. So not familiar with the intricacies of bookmaking!
Point is…it’s a nice touch. (BAD PUN ALERT!)
But really, it is! This book is so striking before you even open the cover, and that danger zone spine is just one of the reasons.
This is the inside cover, and Maria van Lieshout’s homage to the designers of street signs. LOVE IT. And she’s right, saying, “We don’t usually give thought to the story behind the signs.”
Did you know these symbol signs received the Presidential Award for Design Excellence in 1984?
ME NEITHER!
So, like she says: Please DO ENTER!
We look at these signs every single day, and rely on them to communicate the rules of the road. Wouldn’t it be harder to read and harder to keep safety first if they were fancy and less bold?
Bet you didn’t count on a trip to the DMV when you stumbled across this blog today, but the shapes matter! Pay attention.
Did you know?
Octagons = Stop
Upside Down Triangle = Yield
Circle = Almost always a railway crossing. Choo chop!
The Long Rectangle Created By Opening This Book = The shape of a road, directing your reading road trip
Oh, the 101. I drive this road every. Single. Day. As tedious as that sounds, (and IS in rush hour!) this page gave me a little extra grin.
Tagged: AIGA artists, backseat a-be-see, design excellence, graphic, graphic design, maria van lie shout, picture book, shape, spine, texture
