Unpiano Books
The Brooklyn by-way-of San Francisco based book publisher, Unpiano Books, hired Omnibus to create an identity based loosely on the avatar and typography style used on their prior project, a popular photography blog and photo zine series, which served as a jumping off point for this latest endeavor.
Clean, simple typography and a crisp palette of black and white, the Unpiano Books identity is both bold enough to stand out on its own, but capable of scaling to a secondary position when projects call for a particular artist to come to the forefront. Selected works include:
Arthur Pollock Arthur Pollock - Unpiano Books tapped Omnibus to design its first hard cover edition, a 184 page collection of works from the 1970s of photographer and Boston Herald photo editor Arthur Pollock. A news media photographer for over forty years, Arthur Pollack creates images that incorporate great depth and allure with a photojournalistic viewpoint. Reminiscent of the gritty, yet artistic style popularized by Weegee in the forties, the photographs in the book bring to light the daily travails that build the foundation of a city. Arthur is the recipient of the World Press Award as well as the National Press Photographers Association Picture of the Year.
Mel Kadel It Rained All Day - Unpiano Books asked Omnibus to design a hard-cover edition of a children's story written by musician Mike Ako, illustrated by artist Mel Kadel and featuring a 45rpm single by Mike's band ((SOUNDER)). The book is 8" square, 36 pages on uncoated stock, in a limited run of 500 copies. The music of ((SOUNDER)) is more then a component of musician Michael David Aho's overall creative output. It is the foundation of an all too-inviting world he has constructed - a world filled with bitter ironies, thinly veiled beauty and the threat of a trap door with every footstep. Using thick layers of hand cut paper, Mel Kadel's texture-rich illustrations are often reminiscent of engravings. Her reoccurring characters constantly take on new obstacles and adventures while maintaining a consistent aesthetic, giving her work a long-noted sense of interconnectivity and balance. Kadel's illustrations paired with Aho's original composition have created a landscape of remarkable complexity and depth. The duality of the book as both a piece of art and a songbook creates something captivating for adults and the very young alike.
Joe Roberts LSD Worldpeace - Omnibus designed the perfect bound, 160 page collection of works from San Francisco artist Joe Roberts. Joe creates artwork which represents a variety of mixed media formats and is reminiscent of work from Jean-Michel Basquiat and Joseph Cornell. Collage, paintings, diorama and figurines all play a role in the world he has created and is constantly reinterpreting. This book represents a year-long curated survey of his career thus far in the form of 142 full color reproductions of his work.