9. CHRONICLE BOOKS
Photographer Andrew Moore, over the course of several trips to Russia, sought to record the contrasts inherent in this ancient and dramatic culture. “He was able to capture Russia’s majestic beauty and paralyzing decay with honesty. The images reveal the opulence and excessiveness of the pre-Revolutionary monarchy, juxtaposed with the constructivist manifestations of Russia’s later Socialist society,” notes designer Sara Schneider. “As a designer, the question was, ‘How can I recognize those juxtapositions in an interesting way without overpowering the photography?’

“The primary tool I had was typography.” She chose two typefaces with contrasts that mirror those of the Russian culture itself. “The script is like so many details in the architecture, opulent and ornate, excessive in its gestures,” Schneider explains. “The constructivist sans serif type is angular and functional to represent Russia’s communist era.

The contrast makes the qualities of one font more pronounced relative to its counterpart. The intent was to represent Moore’s message of con. icted modern-day Russia.” Like most simplesounding solutions, the elegance of the result belies its inherent challenge. As Schneider points out, “When you have so few elements to work with, you have to nail them.”
Laurel Saville