The Flesh + The Fantasy

Print Design, Book Design

We were commissioned by Cheltenham-based photographer Andy Pilsbury, to present his latest work, The Flesh & The Fantasy. The sequence of images explores British communities and individuals who have adopted cultures exported from the USA and who now live and breathe these alternative lifestyles.

After initial discussions around the origins of the project and direction on how Andy wanted the work to be presented, we set out to design a photobook that reflected its contents - a homage to Americana but with an understanding that not all is that it appears to be.

the-flesh-and-the-fantasy-18-40602.jpg
the-flesh-and-the-fantasy-03-12889.jpg
the-flesh-and-the-fantasy-05-62790.jpg
the-flesh-and-the-fantasy-21-87571.jpg
the-flesh-and-the-fantasy-19-25535.jpg
the-flesh-and-the-fantasy-14-32367.jpg
the-flesh-and-the-fantasy-15-61302.jpg
the-flesh-and-the-fantasy-12-40073.jpg
the-flesh-and-the-fantasy-08-60788.jpg
the-flesh-and-the-fantasy-11-99679.jpg
the-flesh-and-the-fantasy-10-52894.jpg
the-flesh-and-the-fantasy-07-76122.jpg
the-flesh-and-the-fantasy-06-49455.jpg
the-flesh-and-the-fantasy-09-94041.jpg
the-flesh-and-the-fantasy-13-63500.jpg
the-flesh-and-the-fantasy-02-72409.jpg

In collaboration with Andy, we used the concept behind the book to influence our design decisions when choosing format, colour, materials, and in particular the typeface for the title of the book. The typeface we chose was Serif Gothic, an American typeface, which is somewhere between a serif and sans serif. The design treatment on the book’s title was another tactic we used to encourage people to question what was being presented to them from the outset.

The hardback book was finished with a metallic paper from GF Smith, featuring a white and black foil and colour matching head and tail bands. These final, purposefully understated muted gold touches are the perfect metaphor for the versions of the American Dream, which Andy captures so perfectly.

More Work

C. & R. Struthers