GATHERING GALAX
Gathering Galax is a hand-sewn D.I.Y publication. It details the history and contemporary uses of Galax, a plant native to the Appalachia mountains.
Project:
Art Direction
Interview
Research
Layout
Book Binding
Content Sequence
The content is divided into three themes: Plant, People, and Landscape. This sequence creates a scaling effect, from small to large subject manner. Each section is bonded separately to allow for a non-hierarchal approach.
Theme 1: Plant
The Plant theme follows an organic layout. Like the wildest parts of nature, the text and images in this section break the rules of a rigid grid.
Theme 2: People
The People section alludes to the upright position of a standing person. All of the content here follows a vertical layout.
Theme 2: Landscape
The Landscape section is designed in a landscape format. Some of the text requires the reader to rotate the pages in order to give a feeling of an expansive land from above.
Concept and Visual Exploration
National park maps and guides inspired the size of Gathering Galax because of their portability. I wanted to allude to this fact since the galax picker I interviewed for the book picked in national parks .
Color palette inspiration comes from Galax itself. In spring it is vibrant green, turning bronze in the winter. Additional colors are used for accents and contrast.
Colors
Typography
Typefaces Monarcha and Roc Grotesk are used in Gathering Galax. The titles are in Monarch lowercase italics to mimic the low growth galax plant while the san-serif Roc Grotesk is used as subtitles, captions and other functions to contrast.
Imagery
The imagery comes from archive.org, photos from my phone, digital/traditional illustrations, etc. The documentary filmmaker Eroll Morris follows a concept he dubs “ The Everything Bagel.” It’s his way of creating a holistic world.
Production
Gathering Galax follows a D.I.Y ethos. It was produced with an affordable printer, saddle stitched for the Plant and Landscape section, and Coptic stitched for the People section.
