Art and photography books

A cover and a spread of the book Avoin kirja - An Open Book.

Nina Hauki
Avoin kirja - An Open Book

  • Published by Musta Taide
  • Graphic design Minna Luoma / Candy Graphics, Nina Hauki
  • Photography Nina Hauki
  • Reproduced by Timo Lagerström
  • Printed by Erweko Oy
  • Bound by Mestarinkirja Esko Salonen, Master Bookbinder
  • Paper Galerie Scandia 2000 Smooth Natural 150 & 240 g/m2
  • Typeface Adobe Garamond Pro, hand lettering

A wistful description of letting go, longing and survival. The serenely told story opens up into a photographic portraiture. The dramaturgy is soft, calm and, despite the small size of the pictures, strong. The intensity is supported by a balanced typography. Fringed interleaves crown it off.

A cover and a spread of the book Ari Pelkonen - Vuoden nuori taiteilija 2012: Two Stories.

Virpi Nikkari (Toim.) - Veikko Halmetoja - Leena Krohn - Taina Myllyharju
Ari Pelkonen - Vuoden nuori taiteilija 2012: Two Stories

  • Published by Tampere Art Museum
  • Graphic design Liisa Seppo, Ari Pelkonen
  • Photography Jari Kuusenaho
  • Printed and 1st edition bound by Vammalan Kirjapaino Oy
  • 2nd edition bound by Finnreklama Oy
  • Paper Munken Lynx 150 g/m2
  • Typeface Myriad Pro

You almost don’t feel like opening this solidly squared book because just touching and looking at the cover is such a pleasurable experience. The front and back covers are coarse white, the spine is smooth, and a pattern referring to the artist’s laborious drawing technique is inlaid in the front cover. A stunning dramaturgical gesture is the pitch-black curtain on the first three endpages. The rightful stars inside the book are the photos of the artist’s works, beautifully reoccurring on matte paper.

A cover and a spread of the book Jaume Plensa - In the Midst of Dreams.

EMMAn työryhmä - Jaume Plensa
Jaume Plensa - In the Midst of Dreams

  • Published by EMMA – Espoo Museum of Modern Art
  • Graphic design Dog Design
  • Photography Ari Karttunen
  • Reproduced by Asko Rokala / BEE2
  • Printed by Lönnberg Painot Oy
  • Bound by Finnreklama Oy
  • Paper Arctic Volume 150 g/m2
  • Typeface Plantin Std, Truth FB

The design of a book has succeeded when the works it features and the visualization of the book itself meet in harmony. Plensa’s works, conceptual and at the same time esthetic, settle themselves in a peaceful continuum. Framed with generous white borders, the pictures alternate with the artist’s poems. The typography thrives without drawing too much attention to itself. The photograph inlaid in the black cloth on the spine and the foil-printed text add the finishing touches to the book.

A cover and a spread of the book Nina Roos.


Nina Roos

  • Graphic design Anders Ljungman
  • Reproduced by Jussi Tiainen
  • Printed and bound by Kariston Kirjapaino Oy
  • Paper Arctic Matt 100 g/m2
  • Typeface Berthold Akzidenz-Grotesk

The materials and colors of the book are in tune with the artist’s color schemes. The fearless typography of the cover title bows to no one. The layout is almost architectural in its descriptiveness and white space is used in a balanced way. The print quality is exquisite. The binding of the cover is out of the ordinary: the cover is partly “cut clean” and brown carton has been chosen as the material of the jacket, with a four-color cover picture printed on it. The technical realization of the cover refers poignantly to the multi-layered nature of Roos’s works.

A cover and a spread of the book Elina Merenmies - Salaista iloa - Hemlig glädje - Secret Joy.

Pirkko Tuukkanen (Toim.)
Elina Merenmies - Salaista iloa - Hemlig glädje - Secret Joy

  • Published by Finnish Art Society
  • Graphic design Patrik Söderlund
  • Photography Jussi Tiainen, Jussi Koivunen / Sara Hildén Art Museum
  • Reproduced by Jussi Tiainen
  • Printed by Finepress Oy
  • Bound by Finnreklama Oy
  • Paper Galerie Art Matt 170 g/m2, Edixion Offset 170 g/m2
  • Typeface Athelas

Merenmies’s powerful line drawing, turned into foil on the cover, emerges with a mysterious glimmer from the dark bluish gray cloth. The colorscape of the cover is boldly kept dark; the illustration, typography and cloth material all blend beautifully. The darkness continues in the printed endpages, from where a thick set of branches opens out in tones of brown and black. Inside the book the darkness is contrasted with pure white. With the large page size, the layout breathes and the calm typography lets the pictures speak.

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