Creating Artist Books

Just like photography, the use and creation of books are all relative to the artists making it. The function remains somewhat the same as far as the medium of creating books goes, however that could be the only similarity between one book and another. The form can be so diverse the possibilities are limitless. One interesting question brought up when considering how successful an artist book is according to the criteria of the artists in this group is “How well did the maker combine images and text into the book medium?”  Some things to consider when creating ones own artist book, or critiquing a peers are type of binding; title page and endpaper design; printing method and reproduction quality; size, placement, and sequence of images; typeface choice, color and size; and use of text. All aspects of the organized whole piece of art must be considered in order to create a book with artistic integrity. I think the choices made are less important than the consideration given to those choices. Another thing that I try ti consider in my artistic endeavors is that sometimes less is more. Especially in the case of a book, a minimalist approach can sometimes draw the viewer in more than a highly detailed piece. Of course it depends on the work but nonetheless keeping that in mind can be a useful strategy. Placement is another very important part for both images and text. By allowing them to work together as opposed to individual elements leads to a more synchronized piece which is the goal when creating an artist book. Overall the most important part of creating an artist book is considering all of these aspects so every piece of the whole has been thought through.