United Design Lab

Marcel Duchamp displaying his valise, 1942 (Time magazine, August 1942) (photograph from Ecke Bonk, Marcel Duchamp: The Box in a Valise, Rizzoli, New York, 1989, p. 8)

Red Valise

目录页与书口的设计显示了书籍的内容结构

我们有时会从封面判定书本，这是一个简单的事实；然而面对这本书，我实在不得不如此。作为散开而细致的一件设计，此书打动我的，由简单吸引的书名到软皮装订，是那份沉着老练与从容自信。
这本书的成功之处，在于重新肯定杜尚所激发的实体存在，以及细节的高度注重。在众多细节当中，设计师不仅精确配对软皮封面及页边印刷的红色(对其自身是个挑战)，同时包含了一个隐蔽的杜尚自画像轮廓的页边书饰。
书的内容很适合以双语阅览(中英文)，从封面至跨页皆贯彻了简单的划分。
当这个世代很多读者也转投电子书的怀抱，这就是能刺激想象力和吸引注意力的书籍设计，看到中国的书本制作手艺仍是如此生动优良，实在令人鼓舞。我已在我精心策划以颜色分类的书架上，为此书预留一个位置。
It's a simple fact that we sometimes judge books by their covers, and in this case i felt obliged to. While being a discrete and subtle piece of design, the book reached out to me through its calm sophistication and quiet confidence, from its simple and intriguing title to the soft-back leather binding.
The book succeeds as an object, with its reassuring Duchamp inspired physical presence, and a great attention to detail. Among many fine details, the designer has not only precisely matched the red colour of the soft leather cover to the edge printing of the pages(which is a challenge in itself), but has also managed to include a concealed fore-edge printed self-portrait silhouette of Duchamp himself.
The book content is a pleasure to navigate in dual language(English and Mandarin), carrying through the simple division from cover through to spreads.
During a time when many readers have succumb to consuming books digitally, this is a book design that captures your imagination and holds your interest. It's very encouraging to see that the craft of bookmaking in China is still very much alive and well, and be assured that i have prepared a place for this book on my carefully curated colour-coded book shelf.