This is the final academic project that I completed this year. It is an experimental magazine, which represents a stream on consciousness/visual interpretation of Francis Bacon’s book of essays, Of Empire. I chose Of Empire because it is the first book I’ve collected, which is part of Penguin Books, Great Ideas Collection. The collection of 80 small books (approximately 100 pages per) highlights the “literary works of the greatest thinkers, pioneers, radicals and visionaries whose ideas shook civilization and help make us who we are.” Each individual book has a unique letterpress cover with beautiful designs. As you can imagine, this was initially what captured my interest in collecting the entire series. There was an inscription on the cover of Of Empire, which I thought was one of the most real and perfect things I have ever heard. This is what it said:
“Read not to contradict and confute; nor to believe and take for granted; nor find talk and discourse; but to weigh and consider.”
I told myself at the beginning of the project that it was to be 100% my interpretation, with a hint of outside art direction. I used David Carson’s Ray Gun Magazine and The Medium is the Message by Marshall McLuhan and Quentin Fiore as my inspiration. Each spread is completely different from the last. If I did not have to use a computer, then I didn’t. This brought me closer to design in a physical sense and I received much more gratification than I would have slaving over a hot computer. This project was three months in the making. I wish I could send you all a copy for you to flip through. For the sake of online organization, I could not show every nook and cranny involved. But take a look anyways. I’m comfortable saying that it’s the most diverse project I’ve ever undertaken. Click here to see the whole magazine.
Uggh, my soul feels tired and lazy; therefore, I am going away for a while to collect my thoughts and plan my next move(s). Catch you all when I get back.
