The making of the Higher School of Economics printed materials design

Starting to work.

Searching for style and solutions.

The art director cuts off the excess. Showing possible directions to the client.

The client chooses a couple.

Adapting letter-based features for use with Russian text.

Then coming up with specific solutions for openings based on the content.

Simultaneously thinking about the covers.

The client rejects the designs that will not be approved by the academic board.

Putting the approved features in order and assembling a mini guide.

Finalizing the covers based on the client’s comments.

Testing the features with Russian text once again and rejecting several more.

Making sketches of new plaster objects.

Choosing those that will make it into the booklet.

Photographing and retouching the shoe. Creating models and rendering the rest of the objects.

Trying out the rules by typesetting a real booklet.

Client: It looks too academic and dry. Too much plaster. You need to add some color.

Trying to make a step to the side. Starting with the cover.

That’s too much of a sidestep.

We get the idea to color all large areas of black in blue.

Typesetting the final version and preparing for printing.