Crafting coffee table books
What goes into the making of these books that sit so prettily on our tables?
WHEN creating a coffee table book, one of the most important factors to take into consideration is it’s visual appeal. That is, one could argue, their most important purpose: after all, these books are named for the fact that they are meant to be displayed on coffee tables, or other places you would entertain guests, to spark up conversation.
But while visual appeal may be the greatest strength of these books, it can also work against them. Because they tend to be heavy on pictures and illustrations and lighter on text, the term “coffee table book” is not everyone’s cup of tea. It’s a term that is also used disparto agingly, suggest a superficial approach to a subject.
This is why people who create these books often avoid the term, preferring other descriptions instead.
“We try to run away from the term ‘coffee-table books’ as it has some negative perceptions. For example, photo books for tourists or expensive books lying around the living room just to impress people,” says urban identity designer William Harald-Wong, who heads the design firm William HaraldWong and Associates.
“We use the term ‘books’, ‘hardcover books’ or ‘documentation’ because we believe in content that is substantial, well-researched, well-written, informative and inspiring. And beautiful!”
Whatever one chooses to call them, however, it cannot be denied that these books have a certain appeal: their unique blend of eye-catching images and information usually results in a captivating, more immersive reading experience.
“A coffee table book should look good on your coffee table! It is the opposite of a text-heavy book with no illustrations,” says Khoo Salma Nasution, commissioning editor and cofounder of local publisher Areca Books.
“Coffee table books are usually printed on art paper or fancy paper. The layout and design of coffee table books are extremely important,” she says in an e-mail.
The George Town-based Areca Books produces “illustrated nonfiction books” that have the look and feel of coffee table books. These include A Nyonya Inheritance (2012), Black And White: The Singapore House (2006), and Festivals Of Malaysia (2015).
One of their bestselling titles is Penang: Through Gilded Doors (2006), a richly illustrated introduction to the heritage of Penang aimed at the Western visitor to the storied island.
“We have well-researched, richly illustrated books on cultural heritage, social history, visual arts, architecture and environment. From the cover, they might look like coffee table books, but they actually have more in-depth information than the average ‘coffee table book’. They are well-researched and intelligently designed with graphics and pictures,” Khoo says.
Tyrrell Mahoney, president of San Francisco-based Chronicle Books – one of the leading independent publishers in art and design books – in the United States, also feels that these types of books shouldn’t be disparaged wholesale.
“We create a range of gift titles across all of our publishing categories, and while they are certainly considered beautiful and high-quality ‘coffee table’ books, our publishing is also meant to be accessible, inspirational, and useful.
“For example, we are publishing a book this autumn entitled This Book Is A Planetarium, a pop-up book featuring six different fully functional paper-based items, including a planetarium, speaker, decoder ring, and musical instrument.
“Yes, this book would likely be featured on someone’s table or desk, but in addition it acts as a focal point which people are invited to engage and use in a variety of ways,” he says in an e-mail interview.
Quality is all-important
The term “coffee table book” in its current sense has been in use in Britain since at least the 19th century. Conventionally, it describes thick, oversized books, which are often (but not always!) nonfiction, usually with hard covers. Their most notable feature is a high volume of photographs or illustrations in their content.
American wilderness champion David Brower is sometimes credited with inventing the modern coffee table book in the 1960s. He was executive director of the Sierra Club, one of America’s oldest environmental organisations, when he had the idea to produce books that combined nature photography and writings with “a page size big enough to carry a given image’s dynamic. The eye must be required to move about within the boundaries of the image, not encompass it all in one glance.” The first such book, This Is The American Earth, with photographs by the renowned Ansel Adams, among others, and text by Nancy Newhall, was published in 1960 (“Natural Visions”, press.uchicago.edu).
According to Harald-Wong, the making of a coffee table book (or hardcover book, as he prefers to refer to them) involves the close collaboration of many people; these include the author, editor, photographer or illustrator, designer, digital retoucher, and equally important, the printer.
“It is not a simple process having to involve so many people who have to give their best. And it usually takes longer than one expects to produce a top quality book meeting international standards,” Harald-Wong says.
“As in all creative projects, successful books start with a single, strong idea – the subject matter – that will engage an audience with a good storyline and powerful visuals, and how this subject matter is approached differently from other similar published work.
“There must be content clarity. Does it present new information or thinking, a unique perspective or new way of seeing things?”
Harald-Wong’s firm has produced many publications over the years: these include Malacca: Voices From The Street (2006), A Tribute To Dr Lim Cheok Peng (2015), and Ramli! The Heart Of Sutra (2004), a pictorial biography of dance icon Ramli Ibrahim.
For the designer, there are seven principles that govern good coffee table book design: balance, contrast,
emphasis, harmony, movement, rhythm and unity. The exact layout and design, however, depends on the subject matter – one has to determine what “character” would be appropriate for a book.
This is similar to how Chronicle Books works. Mahoney says that the company has never believed in one-design-fits-all solutions: “We let the books be determined by the aesthetic demands of the subject and the materials so that they’re always fresh.
“We always try to look at an author’s words, a photographer or illustrator’s art and think about how we might publish it in a way that no other publisher would think of.
Just about anything that’s visually interesting can become an illustrated book, he says.
“We’ve done a series of books with Disney and Pixar showing the concept art behind their classic animated films, and we’ve also done photography books that showcase images of the universe from the Nasa archives. This year we’re publishing a collection of photographs of 200 inspiring women from
around the world. “A Chronicle Books title really can be on any topic that delights a reader or sparks their passion – and the process begins for us by constantly seeking out artists and ideas that spark our own passion.” Corporate connections
Salt Media Group Sdn Bhd is a local firm that is often commissioned to produce commemorative coffee table books, mostly to mark corporate anniversaries or milestones, or to document an event. Previous works include Majestic
Stripes (2010), a book on the conservation of Malayan tigers with Maybank, as well as Malaysia At 50:
The Country That Could (2007), a book on Malaysian history commissioned by Sime Darby Sdn Bhd.
According to Salt Media’s managing director Caroline Ng, when starting a coffee table book, one has to pin down the “intention” of the book, what its audience will be, and the angle of the story.
“We will sit with the client to understand their objectives and to suss out the story that they have. We then come up with an outline of the book based on the discussions. Once this is agreed on and the scope is set, we can start work,” Ng explains.
“For layout and design, we would usually come up with a few concepts and ideas and, with the client, decide on the best fit for the intended look and feel. Ideally, this decision is made after the first draft is done and after we have had a chance to curate some of the images or at least have an idea of what is available.”
One of the most interesting parts of their work, Ng says, is in the materials that are unearthed as they carry out research. When researching for the Malaysia At 50 book, for example, Ng’s firm went digging into the National Archives and Sime Darby’s storerooms, and ended up finding old photos, advertisements and articles that painted a great picture of the early years of the country.
“When we were doing the book on the Malayan tiger, we found documents such as those from state governments in the late 1800s that listed incentives for ‘the destruction of wild animals’ – which included tigers. These little peeks into the history of our country are priceless.
“And aside from travelling back into history, our books have also given us opportunities to do things we otherwise might not have done – like trudging the jungles of Sabah and seeing firsthand how electric trains are maintained,” Ng says. Market factors
The market for coffee table books in Malaysia, however, has not always been an easy one, with the main threat to it being technology.
“Coffee table books generally cater to the urban affluent,” says Harald-Wong. “There has always been a market. Its future growth depends largely on society’s quality of education and economic w -being. It also depends on how people can be weaned from, or ike a balance with digital devices and social media because reading physical books needs quiet time,” he says.
hoo says Areca Books’ sales tends to rely on a small niche market.
“That would be academics, tourists looking to learn more about Penang and South-East Asia, expats and locals interested in digging deeper into their own history and heritage. Our target reading age group would be 22 to 50,” says Khoo.
“A lot of thought goes into even choosing which kinds of books we want to publish or which authors we want to work with. We ensure that the authors are experts in their chosen topic and can provide balanced and interesting insights into the subject material.”
Ng agrees that the market has slowed down; however, there is still a demand for these products.
“People still want to produce their own books, as there is still a certain image that a company can portray through a nicely put together coffee table book, but everyone is on a much tighter budget.
“We do hope that people continue to put together printed books because although we are very much in a digital age, we are still beings guided by a sense of touch,” she says.
“Holding a book in your hand has a very different feel from flipping pages on a screen. A book also lends itself to a feeling of stability and endurance as opposed to the more temporary sense of an online publication.”
Chronicle Books over on the other side of the world is actually finding a market outside traditional retail venues, says Mahoney, “with widening interest from retailers outside of the bookstore including those that merchandise home and lifestyle decor, art and stationery, and general gifts for all interests.
“High-quality illustrated coffee table books continue to ... draw people into stores. We see this across the globe, particularly in Asia, as well as in Europe, Australia, and North and South America.”
And e-books aren’t the competition that people think they are, reckons Mahoney.
“There continues to be high level of enthusiasm for sharing these books as gifts as a more meaningful and lasting item to be enjoyed time and again. There is great pride in a collection of books, particularly those that are meant to be featured prominently in the home as coffee-table books typically are.”