Their Dark Materials Book
Book Designfall 2021
The text in this book taken from the 99% Invisible podcast episode “Their Dark Materials.” This episode primarily focuses on the history and legacy of Vantablack, one of the darkest pigments in the world, while also exploring themes such as ownership, art, and technology. Four pigments are featured in the podcast and my book, including Vantablack, Black 3, MIT and Strebe’s Black, and a small interlude section for Pinkest Pink. The black pigments reflect such a high percentage of light that even 3D objects coated in the pigments appear flat. In my book, I wanted to explore this concept through manipulating my materials in various ways.
Each section is separated by a black page with a hole removed from it (above). Here I am playing with different contrasting concepts such as light and shadow, seen and unseen, and depth and shallowness. A couple pages feature black ink printed on black paper (below). Though both are black, the ink appears blacker than the paper it is printed on.
The cover also features black ink printed on black paper (above). I used a textured black paper as a half-cover, which folds back to reveal a smooth second cover. The half-cover casts a dark shadow on the cover beneath it. Various shades of black are at play here through strategic use of materials. I bound this book by hand using a softcover perfect binding technique.