Simple and Subtle

The house I analyzed, the B House, is simple and subtle in its Japanese design characteristics. Because of this, the book I designed, like my book diagram, is also simple and subtle. In essence, the book was is not different than any other book. It has a cover, a set of fifteen rectangular pages, and a back cover. However, subtle Japanese characteristics present themselves in the orientation and size of my book, the woven pattern present on the cover, and in the pattern in the stab binding.

I began my book by considering the sustainability aspect of my house and the Japanese’s efficient of use space. Because of these two ideas, the size of my book was determined by the 22”x30” sheet of Bristol we were required to use. Each of my pages were 4 3/8” x 10”, leaving almost no waste while still providing useable paper space that mimics the orientation of my house. Then, I considered the design of the cover and decided to use a woven pattern that did not require the addition of glue or ink to the mylar because it was reminiscent of Japanese wood joinery. The weave on the cover has a basic pattern; however, it is placed in such a way as to allude to where the light weaves in and out of the B house. The back cover is the inverse of the cover and indicates the places of shadow within the house. Finally, the binding is based on the Japanese stab method; however the pattern is my own design and references the small, angled portion of roof on the B House that is a bold difference from the rest of the roof. In the end, my book alludes to the B House and Japanese design in a simple and subtle way.