85. SAMATAMASON, INC., CHICAGO
Part travelogue, part self-promotion, the brochure designed by SamataMason for photographer Stephen Wilkes offers a unique view of artists’ lives in modern-day Cuba. The Caribbean island, once a tropical playground for the world, now stands faded, reduced by poverty, economic sanctions, and travel restrictions brought on by policies toward Cuba’s government. “In spite of these difficulties, or maybe because of them, there is an inner spark of the irrepressible, of freedom of spirit in Cuban culture that Wilkes captures in these photos,” explains Greg Samata, creative director.

The brochure features full-bleed, double-page images interspersed amongst a collection of smaller images—some are panoramas of beaches and architecture, some focus on small details of people’s passions. A center gatefold contains a mosaic of portraits of young Cuban artists, giving the reader a sense of real people living real lives. All the photographs work together to tell a story, and the narrative pacing illustrates the cover theme of Cuba Libre (Free Cuba). Throughout the piece, bold type printed in gloss varnish over the matte imagery serves as section headers for a subtle effect. The sewn binding technique, typically used underneath a glued cover, is left visible in this self-cover brochure, working nicely with the raw cover graphics.

“Freedom is still to be found in the hearts of the people,” concludes Samata.
Terry Lee Stone