Design

Elpidio and Alicia

Elpidio and Alicia: The Love Letters

Publishers: President Elpidio Quirino Foundation & National Historical Commission of the Philippines
Editor: Rene E. Guatlo
Book dimensions: 8 x 8 in
Year: 2015

 

About the book

A collection of letters between Elpidio Quirino, then a budding young politician, and his Vigan-based wife Alicia in the Peacetime years before World War II.

Design notes

How do you make the 2015 reader understand and appreciate a 1920s correspondence? The design bridges the 1920s and the contemporary, the authentic and the simulated. Imagery and annotations contextualize the letters to readers who may no longer be familiar with Commonwealth era life. Bold shapes and gradations contrast with the formality of the vintage photographs; colors and textures suggest mood and period, while keeping the reader experience dynamic. The envelopes and letters are not facsimiles, but stylized interpretations. The book itself becomes a cherished and personal document, partly because of the interactive reading experience; like a precious letter, it is slipped into an envelope-like outer case and finished with a wax seal.

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Credits

Cover artwork: Jose Santos III
Inside cover artwork: Pam Yan-Santos
Calligraphy: Anne Tamondong
Additional photography: Richie Macapinlac