Carolin Rauen Visual Communication
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.
We are all animals – but sometimes we forget about that. This book tells stories about animals. And humans. Borders blur between dream and reality, human ethics and pure beauty, and, first of all, between animals and humans. Katharina Gschwendtner and Michael Weins show in drawings and short stories the mysterious turns of life. The typography underlines the the contrast and the unpredictable: Hard and soft, classic and contemporary.
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.
“Verlorener Morgen” is a novel about a whole country: Romania. It’s history is marked by suffering in many different ways and decades, the book concentrates on the World War I and the 1980s. But the protagonists are strong, especially the women. This strength becomes almost tangible in the form of three strong and impasto stripes of color – the Romanian flag – which cover up the gray reality in the photo behind.