An artist, poet and visual designer, Morris was devoted to beautiful things and created many in his lifetime. In 1891, he founded the Kelmscott Press out of a desire to return to an artistic craft that had faded during the Industrial Revolution: the finer production of books.
The ASU Library holds all 53 titles printed by Kelmscott, including the 1896 publication of “The Works of Geoffrey Chaucer: Now Newly Imprinted,” thought to be one of the most beautiful books ever printed, exemplifying Morris’ vision of the ideal book.
Both the original and a facsimile of the "Kelmscott Chaucer," as it is known, was on display at Hayden Library, as part of the international celebration of the publication’s 125th anniversary, coinciding with International Kelmscott Day on June 26, 2021. Brief presentations on bookmaking, biophilia and illustrations were planned for the in-person event, along with a display of a selection of books from the Kelmscott collection. There was also an all-virtual event on International Kelmscott Day, featuring a panel of student and faculty speakers.
This event required b-roll and photos for promotional and presentational materials. I was tasked to build the visual identity for the event– digitizing the Kelmscott Press identity in such a way that it could be animated for video while still upholding the brand standards of Arizona State University.
This identity was then used in presentations, social media, videos and for the exhibit invitations.
A major aspect of this project was the production of the videos themselves. Each of the different presenters required a short video to be made that contained the highlights of their presentations. One of Julie Tanaka's mission as the curator of rare books and manuscripts at the ASU Library and the interim head of Distinctive Collections is to demystify special collections for learners of all ages, in part, by holding regular events and exhibits that are open to the community. This meant making the presentations accessible to all.
A video shoot of some of the materials that would be highlighted was done in tandem with a photographer. Working with these materials required care and attention to detail as certain pieces were fragile and unable to be opened completely. Certain aspects of the books were also requested to be focused on– the watermarks, decal edges and the vellum covers. All while adhering to Arizona State University's brand standards of involving a human element when it comes to photos and videos.
Laura Davis as the multimedia producer had to schedule, stage, film and produce the videos with an incredible turnaround time. The presentations sometimes had to be paired down from over an hour's worth of material to under 10 minutes. Laura was also the lead in animating the visual identity for multimedia use.
Credits:
Creative Direction: Jennifer Duvernay
Art Direction: Amy Carolyn Watson and Jordyn Kush
Illustrator and Photographer: Kelsey Hinesley
Multimedia Producer: Laura Davis
Copywriting: Britt Lewis