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Service: Collection design, Book design, Cover design, Print Production Management.
Client: INCM – Imprensa Nacional Casa da Moeda

Itálica

INCM Book Collection

Imprensa Nacional’s Itálica is a collection of comparative translations of Italian classics.

With the brief of designing a “modern classic”, we began our research with the purpose of translating early Italian printing motifs to contemporary techniques.

To this effect – and starting with typography –, we settled on the typeface Galaxie Copernicus, itself based on Aldus Moretius’ work. Also in tandem with sixteenth century printing, only the roman and italic cuts were used, discarding bold cuts, all at the same body size. Hierarchies between paratexts are achieved by typographic notation and case, not by colour.

Transitions between sections rely on the metaphor of a theatre play’s curtain swipes, as well as the fade in and out of light. For this effect, we developed software to produce vector gradients that emulate mezzotints grain, modulating each dot in shape, amplitude and frequency.

The approach to the covers was two-fold: graphic and tactile. Graphic elements are analogues of early Venetian printing, inspired by frontispieces and Roman monumental writing. The covers’ embossings are marbled paper textures, converting visual information to a tactile one.