A Book Makes 75 Years of Design Easier to Read

A book about design history can do more than collect old work. Underline Studio wanted readers to explore the work instead of simply storing it. The Toronto studio made Archive/Recollection for the Advertising and Design Club of Canada. The book celebrates 75 years through material from 1949 to 2024. It brings together finished designs, stories, and things kept from studio work.

The outside is quiet, with a pale-grey case and cloth-covered book. A gold number 75 appears on the case around the book. The front cover includes letters, a short description, and an old photograph. Inside, bright red gives the pages a very different feeling. This change helps give the book a clear visual character.

The designers also had to fit many dates and names together. They turned large red years sideways beside narrow columns of information. This made room for other text without making the pages feel crowded. Similar lines and dates connect different parts of the early pages. The same rules help organise several kinds of historical information.

Later sections give old images more space instead of crowding them. One chapter connects an essay with work from the 1960s. Another pair of pages shows a working photo sheet and a letter. These objects reveal part of creative life beyond the final design. Different page styles change the pace as readers move through the history.

The book uses both order and contrast to present its material. Clear rules help readers follow dates, names, and images across time. Changes in colour and page style keep every section from feeling the same. The result treats old studio materials as part of a living creative history. Book design shapes how that history is seen and read.