For photographer Diego Vourakis’s first coffee table book, we worked alongside Diego and his studio AMILE to brand, design and produce De Cara Al Sol. The book chronicles Diego’s travels through Cuba in the ethereal and emotive way that only he can capture, creating a sense of romance and beauty around the island and its people. The cover of the book and the chapter dividers within are inspired by the warmth of the Cuban sun, and the title itself, which translates to ‘Facing the Sun’ — an apt metaphor for lifelong optimism in the face of adversity. In affiliation with the Cuba Foundation and Give2Cuba, the profits from book sales will be used towards the purchase of medicine and other essentials to assist families in Cuba.
- Art Direction
- Print Design
- Type Design
- AMILE
We created a hand-lettered logomark, inspired by the rugged terrain in the southeastern part of Cuba. We devised numerous iterations, but ultimately decided on a type language that locked up tightly together, symbolizing an archipelago of shapes.
The book is divided into five sections, each detailing Diego’s journey through a different part of the country. We separated each chapter with sun-drenched inserts, holding playful illustrations of each of the locales.
The book and its contents are currently being showcased across a series of traveling exhibitions, starting in Zihuatanejo, Mexico and moving to Los Angeles, then New York and London. Each event extends the design language of the book to signage and collateral, creating a cultural movement around the book and the cause.
Diego’s vision was for this book to not just showcase the beauty of Cuba and its people, but also serve as a vehicle for them to receive much needed aid. The profits from book sales go directly to Give2Cuba, a charity organization that delivers food, hygiene products and medicine to Cuban families in need.
In addition to the original version of the book, we also designed a Special Edition. Including a bespoke slipcover and a rich blue color inspired by a few of Diego’s landscape photos, the Special Edition elevates the photographic journey further and serves as a natural complement to the fiery color of the original.
