Bruce Kennett Studio

BOOK DESIGN • EXHIBIT DESIGN • PHOTOGRAPHY

W. A. Dwiggins: A Life in Design

“I just got the Dwiggins book. It is really the best design book I’ve ever seen. The balance of text and art is perfect. And as an old layout artist, I appreciate how Bruce Kennett has respected the margins while playing with the scale. Great pacing.

“The quality of reproduction, and its understated use of color correction adds to the book’s authenticity. Bruce made me understand the extent of WAD’s genius. I was always impressed, but I had no idea.” — Roger Black, publication designer, founder of Font Bureau

Designer of books and types, calligrapher, illustrator, marionette engineer, and writer. W. A. Dwiggins was one of the most influential and innovative designers of the twentieth century, but what’s less known is the scope of his creativity, the fullness of his impressive body of work, and the inspiring attitudes with which he faced every challenge in life.

W.A. Dwiggins: A Life in Design was published by Letterform Archive after a wildly successful Kickstarter campaign. On the campaign page you can see noted print historian Steven Heller talk about the book. Reviews from both designers and biographers have been thoughtful and enthusiastic.

“It is difficult to imagine a better biographer and designer for W. A. Dwiggins than is Bruce Kennett. A passionate admirer of “WAD” and his work, Kennett has devoted the last fifteen years to producing what has to be the final, most beautiful word on his hero in W. A. Dwiggins: A Life in Design (Letterform Archive, 2017). He has performed the challenging feat of providing a vast amount of material about Dwiggins for the professional while writing an engaging narrative for the general reader.” — Valerie Lester, author of Giambattista Bodoni: His Life and His World

The book is 496 pages, 9 x 11 inches, with more than 1200 illustrations printed in full color. Both the standard edition (hardcover, with sewn construction) and the deluxe edition (special cover with leather spine, housed in a slipcase with companion letterpress portfolio) are available. To purchase signed copies send me an email.

“W. A. Dwiggins: A Life in Design reminds us that living is an art. Bruce Kennett has written and designed a highly satisfying account of the life of the graphic artist and designer that fuses the life and work in a way that Dwiggins himself would have appreciated.” — Stephen Enniss, Director, Harry Ransom Center, University of Texas, Austin

“Plenty of biographers write books, very few illustrate them, and none so far as I know create the physical product. This book may well be unique in the history of biography.” — Carl Rollyson, biographer of Michael Foot, Amy Lowell, Marilyn Monroe, Sylvia Plath, and Susan Sontag

To read additional comments about the book, please click here.

BRUCE KENNETT STUDIO

106 Gilson Road
Hartland VT 05048
USA

phone (+1) 603-348-3100
[email protected]

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