The 21st century is a time of great changes for graphic designers. Nowadays, most creatives' work can be seen mainly online. That is why we are happy to take on projects whose executions go beyond the digital world. Even more so if we are talking about a refined, beautifully published book. And when we are asked for help by our alma mater, the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk, we never decline.
We are pleased to say that this is already our another collaboration with the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk. This time we were asked to create a monograph of one of the Academy's graduates, Bogdan Wręczycki. Our client asked us to elegantly and engagingly present the painter's creative output, as well as his biography.
With this project, the most important thing for us was to properly honor the man's life, both on the professional and private side. Bogdan Wręczycki was occupied not only with painting, but also with metalwork, creating, among other things, jewelry. In the years 1970-1993 he was also a lecturer at the department of painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdansk.
Our attention was instantly drawn to his great love for the sea. We learned from the artist's family that for many years he lived and created at home in Sobieszewo. The inspiration of the sea and waves can be seen in many of his works, and amber was one of his favourite materials to work with. His passion also spread beyond his work, and in his spare time he enjoyed building ship models.
Based on the vast amount of materials, as well as the request of Wręczycki's family, we relied in our design on nautical symbols and inspirations. Many graphic solutions were dictated by the structure of the publication's content: it includes texts written by the painter's family and relatives, specialists in the field of fine arts, a calendar section and, of course, reproductions.
In order to pay tribute to Bogdan Wręczycki's legacy, we were extremely keen to create a beautiful publication, which would further enhance the value of the artist's work. We achieved this effect both through tastefully designed dividers and the choice of exceptional printing materials. Wręczycki's monograph is intended to be not only a source of artistic inspiration, but also a beautiful object.
The first part of implementing our plan was to choose appropriate visual means that would not overshadow Wręczycki's work, but rather emphasize its character. Graphic themes taken from his paintings run throughout the publication. Expressive, romantic brushstrokes or pencil marks became an additional decorative element of the monograph.
The publication was typeset with Swear font, which is two-element typography in two-column composition. The coloring inspired by the artist's works found a great use in highlighting the footnotes, among other things.
The final touch to our work was the selection of printing means consistent with the graphic design of the monograph. The appropriate paper, refinements in the form of hot stamping, as well as the case and hardcover gave the publication an elegant as well as painterly character.
Working with the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdansk is always extremely rewarding for us. In the case of this project, we also had the great pleasure of working with the family and relatives of Bogdan Wręczycki, who in a beautiful and personal way brought us closer to the silhouette of this extraordinary artist.
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