The section By The Book: Design To Tell, invites book designers to share their process of creating art books and catalogs. Each designer invites the next colleague to the magazine.
Tell us a little about yourself.
My name is Avigail Reiner, I am one of the two parts that make up The Studio. Together with Shlomi Nachmani, The Studio specializes in design for the world of culture and art. I am a mother to Sari, Aner, and Amri. Presently a resident of Tel Aviv, a former Jerusalemite, but practically speaking—forever. It’s an essential, indelible part of me. I have been a lecturer in design for 15 years at Shankar College and on the faculty of HIT. I have a B.Des. from Bezalel, an M.A. from Tel Aviv University and I’m a graduate of the Program for Design Curatorial Studies.
Why and how did you end up in the world of design in general, and book design in particular?
In high school, I discovered how attached I am to the world of art. That’s why I planned to study art history at university. When my partner Shlomi started studying at Bezalel it seemed very interesting to me and I decided to see if I would get accepted. When I did, I said to myself—let’s give it a try and see what happens!
Designing books was and is still something I discover about myself that I do all the time—every project or thought would eventually be incorporated into an object that could be leafed through. That’s how I realized that these content worlds are really a part of me. After my undergraduate studies, I had the good fortune to start working in a studio that mainly dealt with book design, and that’s how I dove into the world of the “leafable” object.
A catalog for Haifa Museum of Art. Photo: Goni Riskin.
What was the most challenging book you designed?
I am just now completing the designing a book for my colleague at Shankar, fashion designer and artist Orit Freilich. Orit saw a sketch I had designed for her and she rejected it outright. I had never so completely missed the mark with a brief! There was nothing she liked. On the contrary, Orit made me take a completely new direction and produce something that is tailored completely to her measurements, less so to mine. It was a long, exhausting process, especially because we are both very fond of eachother but we had professional disagreements. The challenge in a project like this is how to produce something for such a particular and opinionated artist that also meets my professional knowledge and insight. It’s a thin line and demands sensitivity during discussions.
A project that developed into unexpected places?
I was asked to give a workshop at the University of Pilsen, Czech Republic on behalf of the Department of Visual Communication at the Holon Institute of Technology. The person in charge of the international workshops contacted me about the possibility of presenting my work in the university’s beautiful gallery. The fruitful conversation that followed with the gallery’s curator gave birth to a totally cool photography project with Goni Riskin, in which a selection of books that I had designed were photographed as objects of desire. I enjoyed the experience of the different documentation and thus a new body of work was born, unlike anything I had created thus far.
What is your dream book you haven’t designed yet and would really like to?
I would really like to design a tiny book. The smallest book I designed was by Nitzan Mintz, the size of A6. Irma Boom’s Book Manifest is an inspiration in this sense.
Photo by: Goni Riskin.
First book you reach for from your bookshelf for inspiration.
Species of Spaces and other Pieces by Georges Perec. A book that has accompanied me for years, and is an integral part of my design truth. The book as a space, a space of action.
A book you would recommend, that you didn’t design yourself.
One of the books I always show my students for inspiration is Toda vida by Galia Dor Zeev designed by Naomi Geiger and Dana Gez a few years ago. The book’s ability to hide within an existing format shows the modesty and humility of both the artist and the designers. They went all the way with the truth of the project, took a risk that the reader might be confused, but knew that the artistic truth would be revealed while turning the pages. This is the true greatness of a design move in my opinion.
Photo: Goni Riskin.
How do you approach making a cover?
A cover must be born out of the process. Usually, I have some kind of sketch in mind at the beginning, and a completely different one at the end. I feel that it takes me a while to understand what “the thing wants to be” and so, I wait with the cover until the very end. Sometimes the book goes to print and the cover is not still designed. The second thing that stands before my eyes is the multidimensional object—the sense of touch must be an inherent part of the leafing experience. Therefore, upgrading the print often will give rise to a particular design.
Which fonts do you most like, and why?
I am a groupie of Michal Sahar’s fonts. The ability of her fonts to be simulltaneously innovative yet classic and based on something familiar, to me, makes them unique.
What is your favorite paper?
Unfortunately, the paper in Israel is very limited and quite repetitive.
I really love the paper used in paperback books in the US. While it’s very common paper, it’s also very difficult to get in Israel. I love it for the great surprise that awaits the “user”—when the brain knows that it is about to lift a significant object in terms of weight and then… surprise—the book is as light as a feather!
Photo: Goni Riskin.
Foreign book designer / bookstore / publishing house that we must know about?
I discovered Lugemik Publishing when I was in Estonia for a month in 2016. They also had a small, beautiful bookstore—the only store in Estonia for artists’ books. While I was there, I met the designer and publisher Indrek Sirkel, who was also head of the design department at the Estonian University of Arts. I recommend taking a look! This is his Instagram.
Tell me about the latest book you are bringing to print.
The book Hatira le-ruach, Striving for Spirit, was published recently, which gathers all the paintings of Tari Kipnis who was murdered along with his wife Lilach in Kibbutz Beeri on October 7. Tari was ill with a degenerative disease at the end of his life, so he was physically limited. Nevertheless, he painted his favorite seascapes and landscapes in his last years. Starting in December 2023, I voluntarily guided Gaia, Tari’s sister, in the process of editing and producing the book in his memory, which was launched some time ago as part of an exhibition of the works. During this period I learned even more how much the role of the designer is to “hold” the project in other ways besides designing and editing. For the first time, the book includes a text that I wrote. A great honor for me.
Who would you like to invite to Design To Tell?
I would love to invite Kobi Ben-Ezri.
Design and concept by Avigail Reiner.
Design and concept by Avigail Reiner.
Avigail Reiner is a graphic designer, a graduate of the Visual Communication department at Bezalel Academy, Jerusalem, and has a master's degree with honors in cultural studies from Tel Aviv University. She is a graduate of the design curation studies program at Shenkar College. She has been a lecturer for about 15 years in the visual communication department at Shenkar College and a faculty member at the Holon Institute of Technology (HIT). She focuses on designing artist's books and catalogs and formulating a graphic language for exhibitions and cultural events. Among the studio's clients are the Israel Museum, Jerusalem; the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, Haifa Museums, the Design Museum in Holon, artists and curators. She is the winner of the Ministry of Culture award for 2017.
Design: Avigail Reiner.
Design: Avigail Reiner.
Design: Avigail Reiner.
Design: Avigail Reiner.
Design: Avigail Reiner.
Design: Avigail Reiner.
Design: Avigail Reiner.
Design: Avigail Reiner.
Design: Avigail Reiner.
Design: Avigail Reiner.
