︎ART DIRECTION
︎BOOK BIDING
︎RISOGRAPH PRINTING

In this project, we were challenged to create a book based on a song or album released before our birth year. I selected 'Proclamation' by Gentle Giant, a British progressive rock band known for their complex harmonies, intricate compositions, and classical music influences that defined the experimental rock scene of the 1970s.

Given complete creative freedom in approach, I chose to interpret the song's melodic structure and emotional intensity through experimental typography. My method involved analysing the existing lyrics and translating the musical phrasing, rhythm, and tonal shifts into visual typographic treatments that would capture the song's formal yet dynamic character.

I utilized risograph printing, a semi-manual printing technique that allowed for hands-on experimentation with ink application and layering effects. After exploring various colour combinations and overlay techniques, I deliberately limited my palette to black and pink ink. This constraint shifted focus entirely to the typographic expression itself, allowing the letterforms to carry the full emotional weight of the piece.

The choice of a serif typeface was intentional, reflecting the classical and formal elements inherent in Gentle Giant's musical composition style. To further reinforce the song's structure, I employed a snake book binding technique, creating the entire book from a single sheet of paper. This binding method perfectly echoed the spiralling effect present in the music—while the song becomes increasingly chaotic and complex, it ultimately returns to the same notes where it began, creating a cyclical, looping quality. The snake binding technique allowed the book to mirror this musical journey, where the reader's experience spirals through the content before returning to its starting point, just as the song does.