Illustrated tactile Hermann Hesse's novel "Steppenwolf"
Vilnius College of Design professional bachelor of arts thesis
Project relevance
In the old days, long hours of continuous reading of long texts were common, nowadays it is becoming more and more difficult to focus on a longer period of time. We are accustomed to navigating between apps, online windows, clicking on links that are eye-catching. Books for children are created with a lot of pictures and textures from an early age, as their focus time is also short, but adults do not have a choice of such books. As demand for illustrated classics is increasing, but one sense is not enough to bring people back to reading physical books. And tactile books are mainly created for people with autism and the blind. Books with multiple sense triggering artifacts are very rare or non-existent. Thus illustrated extended senses novel could be a format for future books.
For this project Herman Hesse's novel "Steppenwolf" was chosen because it is one of the most interpreted works. So abstract illustrations do not dictate a interpretation of a novel, and paper of different textures and sizes let's further emerge into reading.
Hermann Hesse "Steppenwolf"
The story is about Harry Haller, who felt like he was made up of two beings - a human and a wolf. His room was a huge mess: book-laden furniture, cigarette butts, bottles of wine, it is his world of loneliness. But the duality is reflected in that, he longed for an urban orderliness. The apathy of life is accepted as the personal suffering of everyone. He thought that the easiest way to escape from the unpleasant reality was to cut his throat. This thought calmed him because he knew there was a way out, but at the same time he was afraid of death.
Main features of the novel
A narrative from three perspectives: the bourgeoisie, Harry Haller himself, and the higher forces communicating through treaties of the steppenwolf.
The novel provides interpretations because there is no single clear ending to the story.
The main themes of the novel are: duality, adaptation in society, self-acceptance, laughter.
Creative work
Book cover
The cover of the novel is made of black short-haired synthetic fur, and the back cover is made of black sharp sandpaper. These contrasting materials create mood from the beginning and staying true the main novel's theme.
Illustrations
The novel consists of 18 abstract black and white illustrations, which allows the reader to create its own interpretation rather than relying on detailed illustrations. Colour scheme represents the main idea of the novel - duality. Grain textures, soft shapes and hard lines indicate obscurity, because it is not always clear whether it is real life or only protagonist's reality on substances.
Book size
The book is not a pocket-sized, convenient format because it is not designed to be read on the go.
Treaties of the Steppenwolf is a 12x16cm to create a seperate book-in-a-book feeling
Font - Palemonas 11pt
Palemonas was designed specifically for the use of the Lithuanian language in order to match the letters of the most commonly used compounds in the Lithuanian language as best as possible.
Text formating
To highlight main events of the novel or illustrate the text.
Textured paper
The novel contains white paper of different paper textures and thicknesses. In the beginning, the paper is indistinguishable from the usual sheets of paper used in everyday life, offset 100 gsm paper. As this is the beginning of the novel, it is also the foreword of the publisher describing the superficial view of the main character in the town. Next part is Harry Haller's records - character's difficult experiences, so a watercolor 160gsm, textured, rough paper was chosen. Followed by a treaties about steppenwolf, through which higher force communicates - light, smooth 125 gsm paper, which creates a feeling of lightness. The culmination of the novel is the Magic Theater, in which Harry understands his being, learns to live with humor, and realizes that he is not just made up of two extremes - 115 gsm chalk paper that doesn’t stand out too much, leaving room for the reader to create his own book-end or its main idea. In the same part see-through 170 gsm paper appears, depicting the scene of the Magic Theater Mirror as Harry sees himself young, old, old, and ever-changing. The low transparency creates the illusion of image exchange. Several unbound leaf inserts have also been inserted into the novel, as it is mentioned that the protagonist finds the poem in a drawer, for which 100 gsm offset paper was chosen. Also 150 gsm chalk paper as it is mentioned that the poem are also written on the other side of the wine price list.
Coptic stitch bookbinding
The book is bound in an open coptic stitch using white embroidery thread made up of three fibers. The open binding allows the book to be opened flat, so that the illustrations and text are more visible, easier to read, and the pages do not close when the book is placed on the table.
All illustrations
Thank you for your attention
