IrmA Boom
Written by Lismary Gonzalez
Designed by Laura Rives
Contents
Contents Queen of Books SHV Think Book On Color Weaving as a Metaphor James, Jennifer, and Georgina 1001 Women from Dutch History No.5 Chanel Where Is She Now? 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16
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Irma attended AKI Academy of Art & Design, where she studied fine arts and graphic design. Book design was something that came to her as a “coincidence.” In an interview, she recalls not being fully invested in painting and seeing herself walking around between the architecture and photography classes when she discovered Abe Kuipers. Abe’s talks about bookmaking interested Irma, and bookmarking has become her passion since then.
During her third year of school, Irma was accepted as an intern in the Government Printing and Publishing Office. Irma worked with 30 other designers who trained her in the bookmaking industry. In an interview, she added that she could not create work without question, a trigger; therefore, she spent the rest of her career taking commissions.
After graduation, Irma started doing graphics at Studio Dumbar. However, she eventually started working for Government Printing and Publishing office, where she worked for five years. During this time, she started doing all the jobs that everybody rejected and experimented with the commissions given to her.
In 1996, after doing an ad for the previous book series of Nederlandse Postzegels, Ir ma Boom was commissioned by the Government Printing and Publishing Office to create the book of Nederlandse Postzegels. It was a series of books containing a collection of stamps and technical information. Nederlandse Postzegels was her first important commission. The book took her three months to complete and consisted of Japanese binding, no paragraphs, no hyphens, and roman page numbering. Everything in the book was placed from the middle out, and it was a showcase of Irma’s innovative perspective.
Nederlandse Postzegels, Book, Offset printed, 1987 3
SHV Think
SHV Think Book 1996-1896, 1996 4
Think Book
The 2136 page book, SHV Think Book 1996-1896, was worked for five years, of which three years and a half Irma only dedicated to research. SHV Think Book 1996-1896 commemorated the hundred years of the Dutch trading company SHV and Irma was commissioned to create an experimental book, and she did just that.
The book has no page number nor index and is antichronological. When the edges of the pages are extended from the left to right, they show a tulip, and when extended in the opposite direction, it shows a dutch poem. Overall, SHV Think Book 1996-1896 broke with canons established and questioned the perceptions of book design. It is one of the essential books created by Irma Boom; not only did it help her career but also it helped her create a reputation for herself.
SHV Think Book 1996-1896, 1996
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On Color
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Color Based on Nature, 2012
The book On Color was commissioned by the Royal Binding and Printing Society KGVO. Irma Boom refused to take the commission for their book multiple times due to the subject. Royal Binding and Printing Society KGVO wanted to publish their book on mobility, but Irma wished to explore the concept of color instead. For this book, her background in painting was essential for the concept. She selected 80 artists that she enjoyed and created color diagrams based on the work of said artists, and from there, she set a unique color to be a feature on a whole page. For this book, the printer created 80 unique colors. Irma later developed this concept with the book commissioned by UNESCO, Color Based on Nature.
Color
Color Based on Nature, 2012
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Weaving as Metaphor, Sheila Hicks, 2006 8
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James, Jennifer, and Georgina
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James, Jennifer, and Georgina tell the Butler family’s stories and conversations in postcards. The bright yellow limited edition book consists of 999 copies, comprises 210 postcards, and has a three-part spine. Irma explored the design and the architecture of the books. This book is another example of the exploration process that Irma Boom goes through when creating a book.
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James, Jennifer, and Georgina, 2010
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1001 Vrouwen uit de Nederlandse geschiedenis, 2013
No. 5 Chanel was a book designed by Irma Boom for the 2013 campaign and their No. 5 perfume. Like in many others of her projects, Irma immersed herself in studying and creating a relationship with her commissioner for this project. Irma Boom would spend time with the Chanel Team to understand their process. Boom wanted No. 5 to allude to the unseen essences of the perfume. The book doesn’t contain any ink, and all the images and text are embossed onto the paper. The 300-page book is 5 cm thick (referring to the perfume’s name). For the process of this book, Irma hand drew all the pages onto an aluminum plate and then turned them into a mold.
No. 5 Chanel
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No. 5 Culture Chanel, Book, 2013 No. 5 Culture Chanel, Book, 2013 15
Where is
One of her most recent books is Book Manifest is, a miniature book showing a collection of Irma Boom books. The 4 1/2x 6 is a catalog of Irma’s failures and successes with a clear explanation of the hows and whys of Irma’s process. This book is available for pre-order in Barnes and Noble for $45.00. Irma Boom has been awarded multiple times for her career. Some of her most recognized awards are the 2001 Gutenberg Prize, Irma being the youngest to receive this prize, and the 2014 Johannes Vermeer Award. In addition, numerous books are part of the permeant collection in the Museum of Modern Arts.
After studying Irma Boom’s life, I feel like we as graphic designers should follow her ideas of being revolutionary, creating relationships based on trust with our clients, and not forgetting that it is all about the concept.
“You can discuss a concept; you cannot discuss one centimeter to the left or to the right.”
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— Irma Boom
she now?
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