This is a very personal project. The book contains the diaries of my grandfather and grandmother, written in the last nine months of the occupation during the Second World War. For a long time, I was unaware of the existence of the diaries, but when I saw them, I knew I had to do something with them. They had to be preserved, become a beautiful document. For the family, but perhaps for everyone. Because we must never forget what happened.
The book has a unique layout because I chose to place my grandmother's story on the left and my grandfather's on the right pages. This makes it possible to read the book in two ways. You can read the notes from both of them on a specific date, or you can start with the entire story of Aartje and then continue with Freek's. To make a distinction, the pages have different background colors, and I worked with different versions of the same font.
With the diaries, we found notes, old documents, food coupons, and identity cards. Often with the most beautiful colors and textures. I tried to incorporate them as much as possible into the design of the book.
We brought the original diaries to the archive in Tiel to ensure they are well-preserved, with the right temperature and humidity.
