81. PENTAGRAM, NEW YORK
“It was this combination of using technology to create images that are beautiful, but also organic and so abstract that you can’t really fathom what you’re looking at that was so interesting to me,” says Michael Bierut of Pentagram, describing why he used scans by Doris Mitsch to promote Mohawk’s Superfine paper.

By placing shells, flowers, even palm fronds on a high-res scanner and outputting the results on art paper, Mitsch creates whole worlds that seem to emanate from a primal dreamscape darkness. A white cover withholds any clue to the contents within, thereby enhancing the mystery that unfolds at every turn. Flat swaths of colors reminiscent of a desert landscape at sunset stretch across the facing pages.

According to designer Kerrie Powell, “The colors needed to be as seductive as the images.” By improvising and welcoming happy accidents, she proved that “anyone can achieve outstanding results even with conventional inks and a conventional press.” But she concedes, “Ultimately, we can take very little credit for this piece’s beauty. It’s all about the images and, as designers, we just tried to get out of the way.” Laurel Saville