Sinful: A Bittersweet Chocolate Book Design
Art Direction | Concept | Set Designer & Coordinator | Graphic Design | Logo Design | Book Design | Hand-bound Book Making | Typography | Copywriting | Photo Retouching
Catering to my deep love of bookmaking and chocolate, I designed an original concept and narrative for a typography project; a fun book pairing the idea of the Seven Deadly Sins with indulging stories about the temptations of chocolate. The book sheds light on our human nature and how these confections play an intoxicating role in key situations feeding into our vulnerabilities and insecurities. From a raging breakup to a lustful aphrodisiac, chocolate finds an enticing way to comfort and seduce our sweet tooth during passionate moments.
Each alluring section contains an original excerpt, written by my colleague Vivian Rodriguez, along with renowned quotes that relate to each bittersweet sin. The other featured stories that run throughout each section are anecdotes from the book Chocolate: History, Culture, and Heritage. These expound on the historic origins of the chocolate industry and its positive and negative influence on social stratification and mass trade across the world.
Part of the fun included playing with typography, typesetting, laying out spreads, and hand binding my perfect-bound book with a mix of smooth fabrics, sultry papers and gold foil lettering. I wanted the book texture to feel lush and nostalgic like opening a chocolate bar that you’ve been craving with a shiny foil wrapper inside. I had an amazing time overseeing and directing the photo shoot with Paul Abraham, photographer, and with a beautiful cast and crew of my friends and peers.
