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The View outside of Time

Book design for a doctoral thesis by Katri Lassila.

Client: Aalto ARTS Books / Aalto University
Year: 2023
Designer: Pekka Piippo

The View Outside of Time

Design for a doctoral thesis

Katri Lassila’s dissertation for Aalto University’s Department of Film examines the importance of landscape in film and its effect on the narrative’s perception of time. The page size, margins and columns of the layout follow the 3:2 aspect ratio of the cinema film frame.

The hardcover book’s cover has fabric that mimics the colours of nature. The cover has the title printed with turquoise metal foil to resemble the sky or reflecting water. The sheets of the pages are string bound, and the headband has a restrained natural tone. The way the book is bound makes the book open easily and makes the book last longer.

Lassila e.g. explains how a visible horizon line affects a landscape picture. The layout plays with this idea by introducing an invisible horizontal centre line to which the photos and text elements align.

The concept of time, or “timelessness”, influenced what typefaces to choose: the typography is not markedly tied to any specific style or time.