Book Design // Paul Rand, Design and the Play Instinct
This typography project utilizes visual hierarchy, typographic color, white space organization, and text/display type to effectively design a book based on graphic designer Paul Rand's Design and the Play Instinct article, published in 1965.
The design process was divided into five phases. The Study Phase focused on the contents of the book. I studied various book formats and experimented with page proportions through white models. A format of 7x7 in. ensured readability and comfortable handling while offering design flexibility.
The Ideation Phase began with quick thumbnail-sized sketches of individual book pages and spreads, experimenting with white space organization and image placement. The storyboard brought the sketches together.
The Grid and Type Study Phase aimed at developing 1⁄2 size storyboards where the layout variations were more intentional and based on a grid system. I redesigned my spreads based on a systematic overarching structure of line width and text box location and included modular elements through the images and colored rectangles, highlighting playfulness.
I then experimented with text and display type and chose Helvetica Neue Light 10/13 for body text - clear, universal, and modern to match the spirit of the book. Univers 59 (Ultra Condensed) was contrasting enough to be recognized as a title even at a small type size.
For the Mockup Phase I developed the entire mockup based on a 12x8 grid structure (3 columns and 1 pica gutter) to help organize and balance the text and visual materials. Using such a grid added logic to the white space and allowed for dynamic layouts. I also designed the book cover - a black background provided a more modern look and referenced the play aspect through Tangram pieces.
During the final Production Phase I refined and revised the mockup’s typography with a focus on legibility and readability, including rags, orphans, hyphenation, line spacing, and white rivers. I defined a baseline grid based on the leading and trimmed the margins for the type area.
