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Na An's "Everything" - A Unique Chinese Book Design Project

Na An's "Everything" project is a unique Chinese book design that draws inspiration from the rise of Chinese culture and national traditions in both commercial design and the academic field. The project is supported by extensive research on ancient Chinese books and the deepening exploration of media in books. The design aims to continuously enhance the artistry and collectivity of physical books, incorporating philosophical, traditional, and cultural content.

The books are about traditional culture and contain the philosophy of development and change. They are created with the twelve earthly branches as the main content, combined with seasons, solar terms, and the Chinese zodiac. The layout design features objects like leaves, buds, flowers, and stones, using methods of combination, reconstruction, and contrast. The binding process adopts the folding form of ancient Chinese books, using wood, special paper, and hot stamping materials.

The books are made of wood and special paper, with a printing process that includes laser engraving, laser printing, creasing, and hot stamping. The design team used hand-drawn graphics, texture art, and a high gray hue in the layout design, employing software such as Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop.

The "Everything" project resulted in two books, each measuring 170mm x 300mm x 25mm. The books are available for printing media, motion graphics, and installation art, with plans for future use in web pages, apps, and digital media.

The binding form of folding comes from ancient books, providing the advantage of easy page-turning and evoking a sense of history and philosophy. This type of page binding allows the book to be expanded as needed, creating continuous space and a dynamic layout that changes whether the book is closed or open.

The project, which began in March 2019, was a response to the growing demand for traditional culture and Chinese elements in commercial design. It presented challenges in expressing Chinese culture and traditional philosophy through bookbinding and layout design, but ultimately achieved a successful fusion of modern elements and historical culture.

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