Award wining design consultancy Casa Rex has provided a set of hand painted covers for ‘42 Haicais e 7 Ilustrações’ (’42 Haikus and 7 illustrations’), a collection of Haiku poetry in the Portuguese language.
The book, launched by independent publishing house Lote 42, with a limited print run of 1000 copies, was written by its founder João Varella as a result of his personal experimentation in pushing the boundaries of Haiku – at times respecting, at times breaking the strict rules of this art form. These explorative poems have also been interpreted visually through a collaboration with the illustrator FP Rodrigues.
In developing the graphic project of the book, Gustavo Piqueira, the designer at the head of Casa Rex, adds a ‘new layer’ to the reading experience of the book, which creates a different outlook for every cover of its 1000 copies.
The creative and manual process that led to the development of the covers has been captured on video here
Video authorship by Geoge Leoni.
Each cover appeals visually and tactically in it’s own unique way, created using stencils of the numbers 42 and 7, superposed in unique positions, and hand painted using varied acrylic paints. The different combinations allowed for a myriad of outcomes, from legible to more abstract visuals, rendering each of the 1000 covers truly ‘one of a kind’.
“By involving the graphic project in this handmade process, we were able not only to create 1000 different covers for 1000 books, but to reflect the experimental nature of the book, externalising it as the true ‘work in progress’ that it was made to be.” says Gustavo.
The book is available for purchase now from the Lote 42 bookstore www.lote42.com/br/42haicais/livro.html
Notes to editors:
Casa Rex is a highly acclaimed international design consultancy, credited with over 270 awards, with offices in São Paulo and London. Headed up by Gustavo Piqueira, a multi-cultural team of more than 40 designers develop strategic projects for global consumer brands, original design for editorial, corporate and environmental projects; and cutting-edge experimental design for anything from typefaces to home ware. To know more visit us at: www.casarex.com
Lote 42 is an independent publishing house based in São Paulo www.lojalote42.com.br