Look, Look, Look, Look, Look Again: Buddhist Wisdom Reflected in 26 Artists

Kevin Thomas Townley, Jr. 

Cover Design

The book design of Look Again pulls collaged elements from various art pieces that are analyzed within the book. This cover design includes 4 artworks that are strategically chosen from 4 of the buddha families. The families are used to categorize and analyze the art that has been selected for the book. The placement of the images on the cover are in accordance with the general locations of each of the buddha families (North, East, South, West). The circle with the subtitle represents the 5th central family: buddha.

Additionally, the colors used are pulled from traditional Himalayan depictions of the buddha families, often seen in mandalas. The colors are also used as a decorative element and wayfinding device within the interior book design. Because of this, readers know exactly where they are within the book and what wisdom is represented in each art piece. The running footers and chapter opening text throughout are color coded for this purpose.

Interior layout

The circular motifs from the cover are used as section opening pages. They reference the color and location of each buddha family and inject color into the interior book design. When considering a full color book design, it’s important to ensure that we are using color to it’s maximum potential. We arrived at this full color book design system by collaborating with the author and discussing the core messages within the book. This ensures the meaning and importance of each section is pulled forward in all aspects of the design. The design is also intended to break free from the more stuffy and classical designs of other books on buddhist wisdom and art. The typography we chose was therefore more friendly, accessible and fresh.

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Photo of the book Look Again, showing the colorful interior book design
Photo of the Look Again Book Cover Design
A photo of a chapter opening page of the full color book design for the book Look Again. It shows a full colour artwork and the color used for wayfinding in that section.
A photo of a section opening page of the full color book design for the book Look Again. It shows a blue circle motif representing one of the buddha families for wayfinding in that section.
A photo of a chapter opening page of the full color book design for the book Look Again. It shows a full color artwork and color text heading.
A photo of a chapter opening page of the full color book design for the book Look Again. It shows a full color artwork and color drop cap to help the reader with wayfinding.
A photo of a section opening page for the book Look Again.