Claus Porto: 140 Years

Selected as one of the 50 best book designs for 2017 in the annual AIGA 50 Books / 50 Covers competition – Finalist in the European Design Awards – Best Book award in the Portuguese Meios & Publicidade annual creative awards, 2018.

The culmination of a twelve month editorial project took place on November 21st, 2018. It began a year before when I was invited by Anne Margreet Honing of Claus Porto to create a book whose aim was to celebrate 130 years of Claus Porto, the famous Portuguese soap brand, part of the Ach. Brito company. The enticing and challenging aspect of this invitation was that it did not simply concern the graphic design of the book, but also the editorial control – deciding what sort of book it should be, selecting its contents and how they should be organised. It also involved writing the texts, commissioning and art directing the photography, and immersing myself in archival research. A complete editorial project in every way from concept to design to the very challenging print production.

To help me in this task I invited talented long-time design collaborator Rita Carvalho to join me. Principle photography was by Nuno Moreira. Printing was done by Gráfica Maiadouro who deserve a special thanks for their commitment and the multiple machine tests that we did in order to get the best results from the use of the non-coated paper stocks we chose and the special binding techniques. A special thanks to everyone at Claus Porto for their openness and trust.

After having consulted the company’s visual arched in a way – through the use of various paper stocks and page formats – to reflect and celebrate the rich archive – a real graphic treasure house – I proposed that the book should be constructed as a visual narrative, constructvisual history of the company. Ten chapters, each beginning with a small text, take the reader through a visual journey that recounts the company’s history, development and productive methods. The book is available in a choice of two covers. It was launched in Paris at the end of October 2017, and later at the Claus Porto flagship store in Porto.

Date October 2017
Client Claus Porto
Format 24cm x 32cm
Pages 242

Book photos by Nuno Moreira – https://www.numo.pt