Pendulum
Role
Designer
Illustrator
Industry
Poetry Book
Year
2018
Design Tools
Adobe InDesign
Adobe Photoshop
Buzzwords
Book Layout
Lyrical Typography
Illustration
Designer
Illustrator
Industry
Poetry Book
Year
2018
Design Tools
Adobe InDesign
Adobe Photoshop
Buzzwords
Book Layout
Lyrical Typography
Illustration
Pendulum is a poetry anthology by British writer Ellena Smith-Culverston. The final volume contains a series of 15 poems. Each poem is accompanied by a hand-drawn illustration printed on vellum and intended to overlap with the written word. The volume is intended to have the sensation of a dream journal, with scribbled drawings and late-night thoughts. The cover is adorned with a five-point pendulum drawing, rrepresentative of the anthology's title.
Problem
Ellena Smith-Culverston expressed that her poetry is mostly performed aloud. This created a unique problem - I wanted to find a way that translated the lyrical quality of her poetry to print. Poetry is a highly intimate artform and I wanted to find a way to convey the personal quality of the poems while allowing the reader to become absorbed in the work.
Ellena Smith-Culverston expressed that her poetry is mostly performed aloud. This created a unique problem - I wanted to find a way that translated the lyrical quality of her poetry to print. Poetry is a highly intimate artform and I wanted to find a way to convey the personal quality of the poems while allowing the reader to become absorbed in the work.
Solution
Inspired by the poetry of E.E. Cummings, I laid out each poem the way they would be spoken - using white space, bolds, italics and size changes to convey the rhythm of each poem. The unique layout is sometimes mirrored by geometric shapes in the case of single-page poems. Each poem interacts with the illustration to create a seamless whole.
Inspired by the poetry of E.E. Cummings, I laid out each poem the way they would be spoken - using white space, bolds, italics and size changes to convey the rhythm of each poem. The unique layout is sometimes mirrored by geometric shapes in the case of single-page poems. Each poem interacts with the illustration to create a seamless whole.
