Full-Bodied: Mechanical Reproduction

For this college project, we were tasked with designing a book based on the work by Walter Banjamin titled “Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction.” I chose to portray these ideas explained in his writing with the reproduction of coffee and coffee artistry. But why coffee?

For 4.5 years of my life, I worked for Starbucks where I earned my title as a Coffee Master after months of classes learning about the history, production, anatomical structure, and flavor profiles of coffee. Coffee has been, and will continue to be a major part of my life.

The title “Full-Bodied” refers to a description of the flavor profile of a cup of coffee. When a coffee is full-bodied, it creates a somewhat heavier coat on the inside of your mouth.

The spineless construction of the book combined with the texture of the covers are meant to suggest a simple stack of napkins, stained by a ring of coffee left by a dirty mug.