Book design by evolution
By the ideal book, I suppose we are to understand a book
not limited by commercial exigencies of price:
we can do what we like with it,
according to what its nature, as a book, demands of Art.
William Morris, 1893
This work's thesis was the question how modern media have influenced the process of reading and how book design could adapt to a new reading behaviour.
The modern media allow the content to develop in some kind of evolutionary process. It is subject to continous change. How could the physical appearance of a book adapt in the same way?
People were invited to evaluate a couple of book designs, on display on the boooks.org website for one week. With the help of genetic algorithms, by inheritance, mutation and selection, one particularly fit design developed.
The result of that process was a book with the lovely name Anique, 5.5 × 7.8", with a blue linen cover.
Germany 72,7%
United States 5,0%
others 22,3%
