Intrigue

In all my years as a communication design professional I had never met Jan Erasmus. I knew who he was and I admired his work from afar. So I was truly honored when he called me up and asked me to review his book. As I flipped through the pages I was amazed just how many of the pieces that I had admired over the past 25 years had been created by Jan. Now as one of the primary objectives of any piece of information design is to be memorable, it occurred to me that I was holding something of importance in my hands.

Jan is one of South Africa’s foremost communication designers and educators. It therefore comes as no surprise then that a book written by him about his viewpoints on communication design, accompanied by select pieces from his life’s work is in itself a communication masterpiece. It is eloquently written and easy to read. The content is compelling and it is beautifully produced.

The book shows a selection of Jan’s work, which spans 25 years of his professional career. But what is both exciting and important about this book is that it is more than just a visual representation of some extraordinary projects. Each piece is accompanied by a brief explanation of his idea and the process involved in its execution. Jan also shares with us his views on the principals of design, photography, illustration, typography and information design. See sample pages over here.

Gary Harwood

Purchase Intrigue

Standard edition: 128 Pages. 145 x 195mm,
over 130 Illustrations in Duotone, with Preface and Introduction by Carl Lamprecht and descriptive text by Jan Erasmus. Contact me or phone Cyber Graphics at +27 (0) 11 624 1711.
(Price + 14% vat + postage & packaging) R140.00*

International market:
(US$14.00 + US$14.00 P&P = US$28.00)

Collectors edition:
limited to 50 copies of the book is also available. Signed and presented in a hand-made, cloth-covered slipcase with foiling. Available exclusively from Cyber Graphic. Contact me or phone Cyber Graphics at +27 (0) 11 624 1711.
(Price + 14% vat + postage & packaging) R295.00*

International market:
(US$30.00 + US$15.00 P&P = US$45.00)

Specifications: Computer to plate by Francois Roux, The Fast Colour Bureau, MCD Group.
Printed by the late Wolfram Heckl (1949-2010),
Ex Libris Press on a Fuji 65 single colour. Body printed on 150gsm Phoeni-X-Motion Xenon Brilliant White from Paper Smith & Son, cover on 300gsm Millennium matt and matt-laminated. Binding by Radco, Specialised Folding and Paper Cutting (Pty) Ltd. 400 copies Standard edition and 50 copies Collectors' edition signed by Jan Erasmus with slipcase by Haste bookbinders.