Pedras no chão by Márcio Santos
In 2019, we at Estúdio Arquivo were approached by author Márcio Santos to initially create a cover for his e-book, in which all the content was already completed. After a few conversations to better understand the author’s expectations, we decided to start with a digital book project so that he could circulate the work faster and in a second instance we adapted the project for a print edition.
After reading Márcio’s original version of the book, we came up with the idea of using an image of a totem of stones like those seen in the waterfalls on the cover. We suggested changing the original title Ácido na ponta da faca (“Acid at the tip of the knife”) to Pedras no chão (“Stones on the ground”), and to play with the overprint. Indeed, the text turns into an outline when it comes in contact with the photograph. Upon seeing our new suggestion, the author immediately agreed.
In the print version, the title is set in Stolzl, in a vibrant blue spot color. The outline typographic variation appears in the chapter openings as well. The body text is set in LL Bradford and the pages are printed in black on a yellowed paper to improve the reading experience.
The final charm is due to a graphic production detail: the stitching line of the notebooks inside matches the blue spot color of the cover.
