Alexey Brodovitch was a designer and photographer, best known for art directing Harper’s Bazaar in 1934–59. Brodovitch infused the magazine with a modern aesthetic and initiated collaborations with many of the major figures of twentieth-century photography, such as Henri Cartier-Bresson, Irving Penn and Richard Avedon. Accompanying an exhibition at the Barnes Foundation, curated by Katy Wan, Astonish Me highlights his influence and relevance today.
The book features a custom typeface, which is inspired by Brodovitch’s love of Didot and Bodoni, as well as his custom lettering for the cover of Ballet (1945). Subtle detailing and angular terminals modify the letterforms’ conventional features in the modernist spirit of Brodovitch’s designs. The typeface is used in varying layouts and at different angles throughout the book, mimicking Brodovitch’s dynamic editorial approach to graphic design.
The book’s format matches Harper’s Bazaar during Brodovitch’s era, while light-weight papers and screenprinted tip-in pages imbue Astonish Me with a magazine-like quality. We paired the book with an elegant monochromatic slipcase featuring images from one of Brodovitch’s only surviving photographic projects.
Photography: Ed Park
