Letters en Spetters, a new poetry collection accompanying the work of Margriet Smulders, explores the layers beneath beauty. The book is designed as a descent: you slowly wade into the sea until the water envelops you. This idea became the starting point for our design.
Letters en Spetters, a new poetry collection
There’s always a sense of anticipation when, after months of designing and refining, a book finally reaches the printer.
Here are the pages, still at the risograph studio. Printed in aqua blue, with images extending all the way to the edges. Even the edges of the book become a waterline. The book will soon be wrapped in a translucent tracing paper cover, like the surface of the water you look through just before submerging.
Colour, binding, imagery and materials come together in a single concept. A design you don’t just look at, but experience as you open the book and turn its pages.
And this is only the beginning. In 2027, the book will have a sequel: an artist’s book that takes Margriet’s work even deeper underwater.
Design: Studio Sophie van Kempen
Images & text: @margriet.smulders
Printing: @knustpress