Common Era

a publication that juxtaposes and compares current and past notions of the future ↧

The story of man...
...runs in a dreary circle. Common Era is a collection of anthropic artifacts that represent the human conceptualisation of the future. The ideas behind futurism holds similar themes and aesthetics whether the artifacts come from a hundred years ago or from tomorrow. The moniker 'Common Era' is a double-entendre; the book pulls time sensitive 'common' aesthetics, from our current time period designated as the common era.
Common Era is a book in progress in the sense that it will never be left untouched. Although production is over, it will continue to evolve — in form and in content, as time elapses. By juxtaposing themes of the future and the past, the old and the new, and the real and the speculative, it crafts a thesis on the recurring nature of futurism.
The yesterdays + tomorrows
CONTEXT
248 page, swiss-bound publication printed on newsprint
autumn 2021 — 5 weeks
Client
Jayme Yen — DES466 Publication Design
Tools
indesign, printer, sew-binding, hardcovers
Problem Space
How might we create an experience that bends time when limited by the linear format of a book?
For what's to come...
Thank you Jayme Yen for a stressful yet amazing quarter. Without your guidance I'm not sure any of would have the will nor skill to get our books done in the time span given. So much has been learned about the engineering of a physical specimen such as a hard cover book. So much valuable knowledge that will be carried forward into eternity...