›Kuba ist tot, es lebe Kuba! 2015, Umbruch auf Raten

book cuba cuba is dead cuban design political situation cuba cuban designer

the book is initially sealed by its cover, as Cuba hitherto. Once one breaks the cover to open it, there is no return.

Cuba is dead, long live Cuba!

2015, Change in Installments

Master project

Mentor: Prof. Anna Berkenbusch

February–October 2015

This project – original title in German: "Kuba ist tot, es lebe Kuba! 2015, Umbruch auf Raten" – is an analysis of the situation in which my homeland currently is. Cuba is not only a beautiful island in Caribbean see, it is also one of the last socialist countries in the world. In the last years the government has adopted new regulations. At present Cuba changes almost on a daily basis, after time had hold still for so long.

By means of a book I try to explain and introduce the daily life in Havana, the Cuban reality through several perspectives. I show the Cuba of the Cubans.

The book contains different texts written by me: an editorial, a text about Cuban history, a text about different aspects of daily life in Havana, 22 interviews with quite different »kinds« of people, 22 surveys, a lexicon of Cuban terms, two lists of woods (as introduction into the meaning of the two-currencies-system) and – of course – a pictures and a bibliography register. Thereto comes a selection of ca. 160 photos that provides visual context to the information.

The design concept of the book is based on the spirit of Havana: loud, colourful, chaotic, not clean, (almost) everything is half-broken and hundreds of times used, the mixed complexion of its people and of its architecture, ...

Visually I translated this into the use of five different color papers that were mixed randomly – which also makes every book a unique exemplar – and the apparently chaotic combination of four different typographies at once, three of them from Cuban designers. On the other hand, the edges were cut quite roughly, giving the books a worn-out and almost broken appearance, like many things in Havana.

Until now Cuba was quite locked-out from the world. Now it is opening. Nobody knows exactly how its political situation is going to develop; nevertheless it is certain that a reversion is not possible. The book is initially sealed by its cover, as Cuba hitherto. Once one breaks the cover to open it, there is no return.

both the title and the picture on the cover spread over the cover and the back cover.

a selection of ca. 160 photos provides visual context to the information.

the mixture of different typefaces aims to reflect Cuba’s character: a modern, clear but characterful sans serif – the ›Hatillo‹ by Daniel Díaz Milán –; two serif types: the one with an old-fashioned charm from the nineties – the ›Danzón‹ by Daniel Cruz –, and a quite funny, friendly and striking one – the ›Bufón‹ also by Daniel Díaz Milán –; and last but not least, a condensed grotesque that resembles the typefaces of the political propaganda in Cuba – the only not-Cuban typeface in the book, the ›Knockout‹ by Hoefler & Co –.

sample of the interior pages – text about the history of Cuba for which I used images from different archives. Typography: ›Hatillo‹ by Daniel Díaz Milán.

sample of the interior pages – text about the currently daily life in Havana. Typography: ›Hatillo‹ by Daniel Díaz Milán.

five different color papers are mixed randomly, making out of every book a unique exemplar.

a selection of ca. 160 photos provides visual context to the information.

sample of the interior pages – photo chapters, where also the interviews are »hidden« in small booklets printed on 70 g/m2 paper. This way one can discover them by flipping through, however they are not to be seen from outside, just like the private lives of the natives are not accessible for outsiders.