Clay Pop

Clay Pop documents the reinvention and experimentation of ceramic sculpture by a new generation of artists. Polymode designed the publication to be dynamic, bold, and reflective of the thirty-eight artists that are featured in the book. Throughout the publication, emphasis has been placed on the feeling of ceramic sculptures that are expressed through textures, typography, and bright colors. 

Clay is a material we often associate with tactility and tangibility, we were very interested in bringing those qualities into the publication. The cover features a puffy material that mimics the characteristics of raw clay and prominently displays the artwork of Genesis Belanger. 

In the publication, the artist’s names are prominently placed on the page using Architype Catalogue Soft Outline, which has soft padded letterforms that evoke the feeling of building up clay. Architype was designed by Wim Crouwel, originally created in 1970 for sculptor Claes Oldenburg whose work was described as soft sculptures that were once inflated, challenging our perceptions and stopping us in our tracks. 

Floods of color are used throughout the publication, bringing in contemporary pop art culture onto the pages. As you flip through the pages, you enter into each artist’s world where you get a sense of who they are, their practice, and their accompanying images of sculptures that draw you into the page.