The paper examines the design of the iconic collection of constructivist
poetry by Srečko Kosovel Integrali ‘26 (1967), designed by one of the
foremost Slovenian modernist graphic designers, Jože Brumen. The text
analyses Brumen’s collaboration with editor Anton Ocvirk in preparing
the book, which was published 40 years after the poet actually wrote the
works. In an in-depth analysis it addresses the issue of the visualisation
of individual poems; in doing so it draws on interviews available in print
and other media, as well as archival materials from museums and private
collections. It attempts to illustrate the process, methods and tools used
by Ocvirk and Brumen in their collaborative relationship that resulted in the
unique visual interpretation. Although the book is seen as a benchmark of
book design in the modernist period in Yugoslavia, it also raised numerous
concerns and criticisms in the field of literary studies concerning the
role of the editor and designer in the posthumous interpretation of the
poet’s works. The paper therefore also considers the influence of the
two key figures associated with the project, along with the historical
and technological context of the printing industry that influenced the
visualisation and production of the book.
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