For this project, we were given the text from the American Institute of Architects’ catalogue, whose purpose is to be sent to guidance counselors, high schools, and other places to raise interest in architecture as a career. The book includes an informative section the explains architect school, examination process, and career options, and then a catalogue section where books can be ordered. An order form for the catalogue had to be included within the catalogue as well. 
    After researching many architects, I decided to base the imagery within the book around Tadao Ando, a self-taught architect from Japan. The “King of Concrete” develops simple buildings with dynamic shapes, allowing for the interior of his buildings to have mass amount of potential. While doing research in Ando, I found a quotes that inspired my design choices within my book;

“Ando also emphasizes the association between nature and architecture. He intends for people to easily experience the spirit and beauty of nature through architecture”

“The simplicity of his architecture emphasizes the concept of sensation and physical experiences, mainly influenced by Japanese culture. The religious term Zen, focuses on the concept of simplicity and concentrates on inner feeling rather than outward appearance.”

I made lots of decisions with these quotes in mind because of how much visualization and concept could be pulled from them. I choose a cool toned dark gray and warmer light gray to act as a light value and deep value and to represents how often Ando incorporates concrete within his work. I choose the blue color because Ando has a strong connection with nature, and one of the only colors of nature that is consistent world-wide is the blue sky. I choose to make the design very minimal to mimic Ando’s idea of “simplicity emphasizing the concept of sensation and physical experiences.” I made the cover exceptionally minimal to accentuate the core idea of the Zen religion, “concentrating on inner feelings rather than outward appearance.” The first quote  makes me think most of windows, an architectural element that allows the guest to experience architectural elements while simultaneously experiencing the beautiful views of nature. This inspired me to create a die cut through the book along the spine, acting as a window through the entire book and representative of the dynamic shapes Ando creates in the buildings he designs. I used the dimension of the “window” to develop a grid throughout the book.