About Book Design by Bob Rigel and Guy Diehl
In the making of a book, the designer becomes a director of sorts, providing a collaborative framework that brings together the mastery of artists and writers towards their inevitable destination – a printed and bound volume on a coffee table or bookshelf for others to enjoy and appreciate over time. If the Austin-Marie Collection were a movie, the original screenplay was written hundreds of years ago by exceptional luthiers from around the world, adapted by one of the country’s best photographers, and produced by a most insightful collector.
In the making of a book, the designer becomes a director of sorts, providing a collaborative framework that brings together the mastery of artists and writers towards their inevitable destination – a printed and bound volume on a coffee table or bookshelf for others to enjoy and appreciate over time. If the Austin-Marie Collection were a movie, the original screenplay was written hundreds of years ago by exceptional luthiers from around the world, adapted by one of the country’s best photographers, and produced by a most insightful collector.
This book has many parts, each of which was assembled, disassembled, reassembled, and refined over many iterations to best tell the story of these incredible instruments:
Typefaces
ITC GARAMOND STD – Body text is 11pt over 17pt providing essential negative space to maintain emphasis on the guitars and establish balance on the page.
HELVETICA NEUE LT STD – Helvetica was selected for its flexibility and x-height compatibility with Garamond.
Color Palette
The ten-color palette was sampled directly from the guitars and supplemented with traditional colors from the luthier’s regions.
FIVE COLUMN GRID – A “five-column grid” based on Golden Section mathematics was devised across the spreads in the Master Pages to accommodate the necessary information while leaving ideal space for the guitars.
Bob Rigel: Book Designer, Artist & Educator
Bob began his career as a fine artist making lithographs and serigraphs of his artwork for galleries in Colorado. He found new passion for visual design and typography as his skills moved to the computer, where he also acquired additional technical expertise in prepress color correction, retouching, and printing processes. Bob’s love for art and design eventually led him to one of his favorite roles – teaching and mentoring design students at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. He directed AAU’s New Media program, piloted their WASC certification, and wrote their Art Teaching Credential program. Currently, Bob is enjoying freelance design projects and creating new artwork at his studio in Bisbee, Arizona.
Bob Rigel
Guy Diehl: Independent Art Professional
Guy started his Fine Art career after achieving a Master’s degree at San Francisco State University. From there, he continued his career as a fine art painter, printmaker, and college educator. He is a San Francisco Bay Area artist best known for still life paintings and edition prints, many of which incorporate direct references to historically significant artists and artworks. His work can be viewed in the permanent collections of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Crocker Art Museum of Sacramento, the San Jose Museum of Art, and the Oakland Museum of California. Guy’s work is represented at the Dolby Chadwick Gallery of San Francisco.
Guy Diehl