SF Creatives Turn Literary Classics Into Poster Art
Author:Stephanie OrmaWhen writing is good (like insanely good) – it’s art. The problem? You can’t exactly frame your favorite reads without wallpapering every inch of your abode. Enter SF-based Matt Grinberg’s and Alex Yancher’s NovelPoster – entire literary works printed on a single page.
Classic tomes (think: The Great Gatsby, Pride and Prejudice, Huckleberry Finn, Alice in Wonderland) turn visual art with a symbolic image crafted from white space in the arranged text. And although the words are small, these tall tales are fully readable from beginning to end.
(above and below: Huckleberry Finn)
After a successful Kickstarter campaign last year, these twenty-something creatives (Matt’s the designer, Alex is the business brains) launched their novel idea. They started with eleven posters featuring classic works, as well as a more modern literary take – Twitter Posters – designed from the complete Tweet collections of celebs like @LadyGaga, @Shaq, and @KayneWest.
(below: @LadyGaga’s complete Twitter musings)
We chatted with Alex and Matt for a behind-the-scenes peek into NovelPoster:
How did the concept come about?
There was no singular aha moment, but putting an entire book on a poster was one of the ideas we considered. It was only a hypothetical until Matt actually designed and printed a poster made from E. L. Doctorow’s Ragtime for Alex’s birthday. Being one of his favorite books, Alex was stoked and soon suggested we also try this concept with today’s literary standard – Tweets.
I can’t believe an entire novel can fit on one page. Insane. How small is the text?
The font size is no smaller than the ingredients label on food packages. It’s little, but definitely legible. The poster sizes vary according to the design, from 16″x20″ to 24″x36″.
What’s the most number of words you’ve printed on a poster, so far?
185,258 words for Great Expectations – which ended up measuring 36″x48″.
What’s it like to read a book in one page?
It’s definitely odd because there’s not really a good place to stop and leave a bookmark, so you just keep reading.
How do you choose which books and celebs to turn into posters?
Long arguments that last into the night.
I’m obsessed with Gone With The Wind – could that be made into a NovelPoster?
Gone With The Wind is roughly 418,053 words long. It wouldn’t be so much a wall poster, as it would be wallpaper. Which is actually a pretty good idea.
What’s next for you guys?
We’ve sold out of @ladygaga so we’re reissuing an updated version that includes all of her 2011 tweets. We’re also working on poster designs for books by J. M. Barrie, Arthur Conan Doyle, Jules Verne, and Homer.
(above and below: Pride and Prejudice)
Judging a book by its cover? So old-school.
