Making 283 Useful Ideas from Japan was an “information design” exercise, i.e. communicating a large body of information, in the shortest amount of readers’ time, with a high memory retention coefficient. Coming up with the design was easy. Pictorially representing the book’s diverse objects, situations, and concepts took a bit of thought. Eventually I ruled out photography because, in my experience, the likelihood of mass-producing truly engaging photographs was slim. Additionally, the logistics—assembling/coordinating the objects and environments, the stylist, the photographer, his/her assistant, etc.—would be complex and expensive. Illustration seemed the way to go.
Simple, well-executed design ideas (part two)
283 Useful Ideas from Japan
by Leonard Koren
http://blog.leonardkoren.com/?paged=2
in 13 Books (notes on the design, construction & marketing of my last . . .)
by Leonard Koren