Irma, the Book Architect

We love Irma Boom. Irma, one of the world’s foremost book designers, developed many of the most beautiful books that have been produced in recent years. She is the youngest person ever to receive the prestigious Gutenberg Prize for a body of work.

 

“I compare my work to architecture. I don’t build villas, I build social housing. The books are industrially made and they need to be made very well. I am all for industrial production. I hate one-offs. On one book you can do anything, but if you do a print run, that is a challenge. It’s never art. Never, never, never.”

Irma Boom (www.eyemagazine.com)

Irma has an experimental approach to formats, building small-scale 3D models/mock-ups while she works to help visualise the finished project, plunging the design process closer to architecture than graphic design.

 

“The small books allow me to easily check the structure of the book—the distribution of text and images—because the small format is handier to deal with. (…) But I am not a small book fetishist—the models are working tools for me.”

Irma Boom (www.designersandbooks.com/)

 

Irma distinguishes her work by her willingness to innovate and take risks. And she always ensures that the aesthetic impact of her design is empathetic with the content of each book.

 

Welcome to the fabulous world of Irma Boom !