COMA dutch designLAB

Katrin Korfmann photographs public and private spaces from a bird’s-eye view, assembling a single, unified composition from multiple discrete images of people in motion. Her images are both an interpretation of her experience and of collective social memory.

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Learning all about paper, printing, and binding with

Welcome BU2023

The Best Dutch Book Design 2019! 💥

Congratulation to all the selected designers and thank you again for being part of COMA Dutch designLAB! 👏👏🏼👏🏽👏🏾👏🏿
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COMA talks ABOUT PAPER [english]

What is your favorite paper, and why?
We have no particular favorite. Our choice of a paper(s) always depends on the individual project(s). Generally, we like papers with distinct characters, and sometimes a combination of papers can enhance the editorial content of a book and also make it more user-friendly.

Could you give an example of a design you created where paper played a unique or particularly functional role?
1.
Richard Avedon is credited with expanding the genre of photography with his pioneering work in fashion and portraiture. The book AVEDON'S FRANCE: OLD WORK, NEW LOOK explores his fascination with France, bringing together photographs, interviews, letters, publications, and essays.
To distinguish Avedon’s artwork from the background material, we used two different papers: A Matt stock (120 gsm Munken Polar) for background material is offset by glossy paper (130 gsm Multiart gloss) for Avedon's works.

2.
The monograph about the New York painter MARILYN MINTER features work from every period of her career, which spans over forty years. The material is very diverse, and the artist's wish for the book was to be classic, but with a magazine feel.
We responded to her wish with a range of papers throughout the book. We used a glossy stock (Condat Silk 170 gsm) with an additional gloss varnish to make it super glossy. For the texts and b/w photographs we used a bulky uncoated stock (UPM Fine 140 gsm) and for the film section a pearlescent paper (Curious Metallics 120 gsm). The book also features an individual artist's text contribution. We set it apart from the other texts by using a Chromolux Alu 80 gsm, a stock that is uncoated on one side and silver foiled on the other.

3.
African-American artist Kara Walker's book on a series of drawings: DUST JACKET FOR THE NIGGERATI grew out of Walker's attempts to understand how interpersonal and geopolitical powers are asserted through the lives of individuals.
Featuring three weights of the same uncoated stock (Munken Pure Rough 150gsm, 120gsm, 100gsm), we simply used a paper stock that is similar in feel and color to the paper Kara used for her drawings. The book's dust jacket unfolds to reveal a large artwork that includes the artist's entire foreword as well as a blown-up detail of a large text. Bleeding images of works on display in the exhibition start and end the book.

4.
RHYTHM SCIENCE by Paul D. Miller, aka ‘DJ Spooky that Subliminal Kid’, translates thoughts, rhythms and images into the medium of graphic design. We worked with the ideas and music that Paul gave us and created something as much “us” as him. Rhythm Science can be read chapter by chapter, digested through text-bites, or scanned via images.
For the interior of the book (incl. music CD), we used a packaging paper (70 gsm, Prolitho), for the endpaper 140 gsm, Profijt, and for the cover the beautiful 300 gsm Curious Touch Soft Milk, which was generously sponsored by Arjo Wiggins.

How important is the choice of paper in your designs? Do you spend a lot of time choosing the paper?
We spend a considerable amount of time finding the right paper for each project. We usually start making dummies as soon as we start exploring the approach and concept for a new print project. Form and function go hand in hand!

Could you mention a designer whose paper choice appeals to you?
As part of our design practice, we also curate and organize COMA dutch designLab, a platform for design education. As part of the program, we invite other designers to conduct workshops. Naturally, we invite people whose work we're fond of. Haller Brun (www.hallerbrun.eu) are not only talented designers who always pay special attention to their paper choices but also people who impress with their ability to run an inspiring workshop with students. The students were given the unusual assignment to create an (empty) paper dummy mock-up based on a poem. Haller Brun held the workshop at the paper sample showroom of paper manufacturer Fedrigoni (www.the-paper-factory.com). The students had a wide range of paper available and created some beautiful objects.

Is there something missing in the current range of available paper?
Packaging or industrial papers are harder to get hold of. Unique packaging papers are often produced on rolls instead of sheets. For book production we need sheets.

What is your biggest frustration in the field of paper?
Paper is the bearer of a lot of bad news. ("Don't shoot the messenger!")

Is it difficult or easy for designers in your country to find information about paper, paper samples, and paper collections?
We try to keep our studio paper collection up to date, and if we need inspiration or want to search for something specific, the service of Monsterkamer is fabulous!

How do you see the future of paper?
We believe in the power of tactility. Paper enhances the meaning of content. It complements the message and is less fleeting!

Visiting Sans Serriffe, art & design bookshop heaven! Thank you Pieter and Elisabeth for talking about your passion for books, and organizing events & exhibitions!
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San Serriffe
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COMA Amsterdam / New York

Impressions of the visualization from the workshop with Catalogtree. Students were assigned to use the ”group as a ready data set that can be rearranged, edited and filtered to uncover hidden connections, latent leanings, and surprising stories.” Big thank you to Joris & Daniel for an amazing day!
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Catalogtree
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.amsterdam.newyork

Where to place a garbage bin in a train station or how long does it take to drink a soda and depose it in the garbage bin? This is how Joris and Daniel started of their talk about Catalogtree’s interest in “self-organizing systems—they believe in 'Form Equals Behaviour’—experimental tool-making, programming, typography and the visualization of quantitative data.” Thank you for showing us LOCAL CODE, a fascinating book with a data-driven layout arranging 3,659 drawings about Data, Design, and the Nature of Cities, as well as the book SMART ABOUT CITIES!
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Catalogtree
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.amsterdam.newyork

Print, exhibition design, animation, murals, prints and installations are the various talents & practices of Rudy Guedj. Thank Rudi for sharing your impressive & most recent project for Design for I See That I See What You Don’t See for the Dutch participation in the XXII Triennale di Milano, as well some of your beautiful drawings and the plant alphabet!
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“Through J-LTF Type Foundry, Jungmyung’s primary focus is telling stories and exploring the life of typefaces and their emotions.” Her typefaces have ”conversations on exhibition walls, function as outspoken subtitles for her outsourced chain of rap music videos” and are used by artists and writers in her self-published journal Real-Time-Realist.” Thank you Jungmyung for showing us your unique approach to type design. @ Amsterdam, Netherlands

Robert sharing his passion for collaborating with artist on their book publications!
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@ Amsterdam, Netherlands