Graphic designer irma boom has made over 250 books, 50 of which are in the permanent collection of the museum of modern art in new york. The survival of the book or the renaissance of the book. Centennial album jubileumboek aka thinkbook irma boom, johan pijnappel. Irma boom, the architecture of the book was comprised of two 800page publications. Shv think book edited and designed by irma boom, 1996 book for shv, irma boom oversized object pushed the limit of the conventional book format, reconfiguring the traditional reading experience. Irma boom, 1959present amsterdam designer, opened her studio in 1991. Please join us for a lecture by internationally renowned graphic designer, irma boom, where she will show recent design projects and discuss the continued urgency of physical books in the age of the digital. Irma boom is a dutch graphic designer, located in amsterdam and specialised on book making. After graduating she worked for five years at the dutch government publishing and printing office in the hague. Paul fentener van vlissingen, ceo of the dutch conglomerate shv, tasked boom with creating a book to commemorate the centenary of his company. Irma booms think book for shv irma boom, book design. Irma booms think book for shv at more than 4 inches. The shv think book was designed to last 500 years, like a cathedral.
Booms little red book, biography in books, is just 1. Irma boom herself did the maths somehow and figured out that it would take 500 years before it has been around the whole globe. The architecture of the book miniature edition, lecturis, 20. Her bold experimental approach to her projects often challenges the convention of traditional.
Irma boom born 15 december 1960 in lochem, gelderland, netherlands, is a dutch graphic designerwho specializes in book making. Her work is showcased at the university of amsterdam library. Written by the renowned design critic alice rawsthorn and designed by the awardwinning book designer irma boom, it describes how warlords, scientists, farmers, hackers, activists, and designers have used design to different ends throughout history. To understand her work you have to hold it, feel it, flip through the pages to experience the sequence. Irma boom has received many awards for her book designs and was the youngest laureate to be awarded the prestigious gutenberg prize for her complete oeuvre. It came in a cardboard box of about a cubic foot, containing a smaller, rather clumsily. The shv think book is her most celebrated work, and. Throughout her career, irma has balanced design with academia by acting as a senior critic at yale university. I think of my work as being commissioned by commissioners, rather than by clients.
Boom was given her freedom, and shv think book made her international career. The book was designed in amsterdam by irma boom, and i thank her for her extraordinary eye and prodigious talent for making books beautiful. A genius of book design creates a tome with no ink. Her think book for a giant coal company has become an. She is known for her creative reinterpretation of book form, in which aesthetic value is more important than legibility. Born in the netherlands in 1960, boom has won international acclaim for her book designs. Boom begins each books design by making small scale models. Irma booms library, where pure experimentalism is on the. Irma boom the distribution of information has always been dependent on its changing form. Watch the internationally acclaimed icon of dutch design discuss her uncompromising design method. Just as the second book in the series was slightly larger than its predecessor, the third will be bigger still though far smaller than other books. Irma boom born 1960121515 december 1960 in lochem, gelderland, netherlands, is a dutch graphic designerwho specializes in book making.
A genius of book design creates a tome with no ink wired. Biography in books at the special collections department of the library of the university of amsterdam ran until october 3. Boom works with what she calls commissioners, never. The book was designed by irma boom, book designer from amsterdam and compilated and edited by ineke van ginneke, art historian from amsterdam. Irma boom and johan pijnappel shv holdings, not for sale. Distinguished book designer irma boom makes miniature versions of her books in an almost architectural manner. Since then, boom, a professed workaholic, has applied her unorthodox approach to more than 300 books, picking up more awards along the way, including the coveted gutenberg prize in 2011, of which she was the youngest recipient. The shv book is designed by irma boom in editorial collaboration with art. Boom has been described as the queen of books, having created over 300 books and is well reputed for her artistic autonomy within her field. This is an overview of booms career with an introduction by rem koolhaas and text by mathieu lommen. The youngest ever laureate to receive the prestigious gutenberg prize for her complete body of work, she has 50 books in the permanent collection at moma and has been the recipient of numerous other awards. Irma boom, one of the worlds foremost book designers, discusses her working methods, preferences, and the nature of freerange design. Many of todays ebooks, by contrast, represent a provisional low point in the art of bookmaking, writes mr.
The book, commissioned by shv holdings in holland, is pages and. Irma boom studied graphic design at the aki art academy in enschede. Amsterdam irma boom pays careful attention to word choice. On february 24th 2012, volume sat down with irma boom to discuss among other. Irma booms think book for shv at more than 4 inches thick and weighing in at nearly 8 pounds, the 2,6page commemorative think book for shv, a dutch holding company, took designer irma boom 5 years to complete. Boom introduced the idea of a fat book overtly thick book and has made more than 300 books, 100 of which are in the permanent collection of moma in new york. Boom deconstructs and rebuilds the book through a careful selection of everything from size, binding, paper type, typography, and even scent. Irma booms detailed and textually specific book designs have positioned her as one of the leading voices in her field.
Irma booms books are celebrated as works of art, exhibited in museums. Boom introduced the idea of a fat book overtly thick. Scent is one of the unusual features boom utilized in one of her book designs, in collaboration with an. Irma boom designed a book for the perfume chanel no. Reflections on the births and circulations of charismatic booksfrom deuteronomy to maos little red book. At more than 4 inches thick and weighing in at nearly 8 pounds, the 2,6page commemorative think book for shv, a dutch holding company, took designer irma boom 5 years to complete. Irma boom has received many awards, including a gutenberg prize, for her book designs. Oog eye rotterdam eye hospital graphic design irma boom. Boom studied graphic design at the aki art academy in enschede. Irma boom on standing up for yourself, even in the face of.
Tentatively titled boom on books, it will include her work of the last five years. Irma boom is an amsterdambased graphic designer, specialized in making books. The latest issue of volume marks a special jubilee. Irma boom is an amsterdambased graphic designer distinguished in making books. This video was taken in the university of amsterdam special collections as a visual aid for my resma. Making books is my work and my life, and telling one story per book was my way to reveal things about the project you would not get from an ordinary caption. For who missed this retrospective, which already for the personal and just perfect presentation was worth visiting, a short visual report. A third edition of irma boom is to be published later this year. For five years she worked editing and conceptdesign on the 2,6page shv think book 19961896, commissioned by shv holdings in utrecht. Think book irma boom maroo of the winter caves online book free, the shv book is designed by irma boom in editorial collaboration with art historian johan pineal. With her use of unfamiliar formats, materials, colors, structures, and typography she makes the book into a visual and haptic experience. They are identical except that one is minuscule just 4. Irma boom is an amsterdambased graphic designer specialising in book making. Shv think book 19961896, one of booms early commissions, is illustrative of her experimental and influential approach to book design.
Published at more than 2,000 pages, it is a narrative history of the. Watch her demonstrate and discuss these unique miniature books, which are. Boom introduced the idea of a fat book overtly thick book and has made more than 300 books, 100 of which. Conversely, her largest project, the shv think book, is a 26page book published in english and chinese, which took her five years to research, design and edit. For five years boom worked with the editing and conceptdesign of the 2,6page shv think book 19961896, commissioned by shv holdings in utrecht and published in english and chinese.
When it finally came out after a process of four years, the response was overwhelmingly positive, and the book has since become booms own manifesto for a book. Irma booms library, where pure experimentalism is on the shelf. Boom has been described as the queen of books, having created over 300 books and is well reputed. Graphic designer irma boom is the woman behind some of the most stunning books to have been published in the last decade. Boom will focus specifically on more than 20 years of collaborations with rem koolhaas, including their most recent project, elements of architecture, which is based on. Creating books where content and form are closely related is very important to boom. The book, commissioned by shv holdings in holland, is 26 pages and took irma five years to put together.
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