perfect for poetry
book
The shimmering metallic lustre of Curious Metallic White Gold, selected for the cover poetry book An Druideog, perfectly captures the way the poet’s writings can challenge expected viewpoints.
The shimmering metallic lustre of Curious Metallic White Gold, selected for the cover poetry book An Druideog, perfectly captures the way the poet’s writings can challenge expected viewpoints.
The project
The book was designed by Gabriel Walsh of Capiche Design for Irish poet Ciarán MacAibhistín, and features a collection of poems which are a reflection on the poet’s life as he approaches his twilight years.
The design of the book was, to an extent, determined by the limited budget available, especially regarding the size of the book and the use of stock photography; with a single stock image – an image of a starling – used throughout.
For the cover design, the photography is used in an abstract way, reflecting the way in which the familiar themes that run through the poems are often told from very different and unsettling viewpoints. Inside the book, the continued use of the same stock image adds to the uneasy sense and confusion.
The paper choice
The choice of print substrate used for the cover is inspired by the title poem, An Druideog, which depicts starlings as dull creatures until light shines upon them and they are transformed; the poet no longer sees starlings but birds of paradise.
“The iridescent nature of the print substrate beautifully captures this notion, echoing the words of the poet while illustrating the beauty of the starling feathers.”
Gabriel Walsh of Capiche Design
Printed on an HP Indigo 7900, Curious Metallic White Gold 300gsm was found to be the ideal substrate for the book's cover, as the shimmering metallic lustre of this creative paper subtly transforms the image when viewed at different angles.
“Working within a constrained budget can sometimes lead to interesting design solutions. In this case, the limited budget forced us to look at the content – the unsettling viewpoints – and, as a result, we used a single stock image in an abstract fashion throughout the book, which echoed the unsettling themes and induced a sense of discombobulation.”
Gabriel Walsh of Capiche Design
Product information
As our most tactile range of creative papers, the Curious collection pushes the boundaries in every direction – colour, touch and visual effects – to open daring new creative avenues in print and packaging design.
The Curious collection incorporates Metallics, Matter, Skin and Translucents and is part of the refreshed portfolio of Antalis' creative papers, all of which are carbon balanced as standard, in partnership with World Land Trust.
