Process

The bookbinding process.

Tarzan of the Apes

Brief

Redesign the book Tarzan, and highlight the reason why the book was banned.

Concept

In the 1930s Tarzan of the Apes was banned by the Los Angeles public library for being considered pornographic and blasphemous due to scenes of male nudity and male and female cohabitation. This version of Tarzan references mainly religious art from the past to demonstrate how nudity and sexuality has been considered the epitome of beauty in the art world throughout history. A "peephole" theme is used throughout the book that creates a sense of voyeurism and distorts the beautiful imagery that is being viewed. This is a visual metaphor for how the banning of Tarzan of the Apes threatened the concept that books are historical pieces of art, and should be treated as such.

The book was designed using the typefaces Futura and Century Schoolbook, which was designed specifically to improve readability in textbooks. The images used are from the Getty Foundation Open Source Program, and the book was hand bound at California State University, Chico.