Coffee Table Book
Client: John Skivington
Brief: My client had identified their favourite 100 albums and wanted to present these in a coffee table book. Design and produce the book using the assets provided, delivering 25 copies with a printed binder.
Format: Each album needed to be presented across a double page spread, with all information visible in one view. The book was to be bound with 200+ pages with a hard cover. The front and back covers were to feature colour images of all the albums laid out in the order 100 to 1. The binder was to feature a photograph of all 100 albums stacked on a shelf.
Design challenges
One of the main challenges was creating a layout that could adapt to the wide variation in text lengths across the 100 albums. Descriptions and track lists ranged from very short to very long, which made early layout approaches inconsistent. A grid system and typographic hierarchy were developed, ensuring balance and readability throughout the book.
Another challenge I faced was how to share the client’s story without overwhelming the design with too much text. I suggested including the story behind the collection and the process for ranking the albums. To balance storytelling with design clarity, a discreet QR code was placed at the beginning of the book which linked to a written interview.
Design solution
The design of the book focused on turning my client's favourite albums into a visual journey. Since the album collection was in vinyl records, the book was produced in vinyl record size, 30cm by 30cm.
The 210 page book was produced with a hardback cover and thread sewn binding on matt 150gsm paper. It was a limited edition print of 25 copies, designed to feel like a collectors item.
