Ever wondered what exactly a book designer does? Contrary to public opinion, the role of a designer in the making of printed books goes far beyond cover design. At Tara Books, an independent publishing house renowned for their experiments in book-making, design plays an important part in the journey of a book. Design decisions are shaped by a number of factors and the book that finally sits on the shelf is often quite different from what the designer originally imagined. In this talk, get a glimpse of the behind-the-scenes of a selection of titles designed at Tara Books and learn about ways to navigate unexpected constraints using tricks of the trade. From working around limitations of print processes to planning layouts for books with language translations, this session is a sneak peek into the fascinating yet challenging world of designing for print.

Ragini Siruguri is a visual communication designer from south India. Her practice lies at the intersection of graphic design, photography, books and writing and is guided by a belief that any form of design is inseparable from the cultural and political context it is created within.

At present, Ragini designs books with Tara Books, an independent publishing collective renowned for experiments in the art of book-making. Outside of this, she has developed an online workshop on graphic design in the Indian context with Ownpath, an education platform for designers. A chance encounter with Bangkok-based designer and photographer Wuthipol Ujathammarat led to a collaboration called Urban Coincidence, a project that explores visual similarities between India and Thailand through photographs by the two designers.

Don't judge a book designer by their layout

Ragini Siruguri

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