To celebrate a remarkable seventy-five year history, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) needed a lively, large-format picture book. They found the ideal collaborator in Vern Associates.

Concept

Although constructed as a timeline, the entries by year and the interspersed quotations and features give this coffee-table book a strong narrative that most readers will want to follow from start to finish. The captions for the photographs and illustrations enhance the information imparted by the text.

Content

Author Vicky Cullen, WHOI's editor-in-chief, used a wide variety of resources to reconstruct the Institution's fascinating story. Her text is punctuated by sidebar features on pertinent subjects and callout quotations from publications by and about some of the many people and issues discussed in the text. Six science story lines interspersed throughout the book give capsule descriptions of programs undertaken at WHOI.

Design & Production

The designer's challenge was to find a way to keep the narrative thread intact in order to facilitate a continuous reading of the text. This was accomplished by using warm brown tints to set out features and excerpts. Generously sized pictures and their captions flesh out the text sections. Duotone printing of black-and-white images adds a richness and depth to many historical pictures.

The Result

A lavish and lively picture book that invites readers of all areas of interest to read it from start to finish.