Work portfolio by communication designer Carolin Rauen

The second edition of the re-designed Hamburg yearbook of literature welcomes readers with a shiny field of metallic blue hot foil with a scene from space – two astronauts who landed on the lettering “Ziegel” (brick), an illustration by Sascha Hammer. It invites you on a journey into the unknown, into the inner part, where fifty authors present their texts – from poetry to graphic novels to fiction.

Camilla Grudova takes us into a scary-magical and grotesquely humorous universe, populated by dolls, sewing machines, tin cans and mirrors, determined by absurd ideologies and strange rules. The artwork on the book cover by Maurizio Anzeri and the typography transport the mix of beauty and distraction in an almost tangible, three dimensional way.

What is singing anyway? Is it an artistic act? What do expression, mirror of the soul or a political act mean? How do animals sing? Is it a difference to sing together or alone in the shower? – 21 authors write about philosophical, poetic and practical aspects of a cultural technique that is always part of our natural expression. The cover shows the togetherness and at the same time the individuality that is hidden behind the singing of each one.

A large shiny field of orange-red metallic hot foil reflects the light. Inside, bold, almost tapering letters form the word “brick”. Above, an angry, panting wolf. The first edition of the newly designed Hamburg yearbook for literature brings together poetry and fiction by almost fifty Hamburg authors as well as illustrations by Line Hoven. The book – whether cover or spine – attracts attention and makes you curious to look inside and lose yourself in the various texts.

How do you become a good father? The protagonist wants to learn from the best and makes his way to the forest to find „Reuber“. The result is a beautifully illustrated and written homage to the courage and the forest by Rán Flygenring (illustration) and Finn-Ole Heinrich (text). In the typography, hand-drawn elements complement each other with calm classic typesetting. The workmanship also has a major effect: the trimmed edges of the hardcover transform the overall object not into a coffee table, but into a workbook.