In Notes on Devils, Jacob Dwyer looks back in a mix of non-fiction and fiction on his time in Lithuania, where in 2018 he was to photograph the collection of the ‘devil museum’. An audio drama on the same subject was released on double LP in 2022, and in this revised script of that drama Dwyer continues his exploration of themes including isolation, boredom and masculinity. Notes on Devils reflects an unusually large number of the aspects of good book design as seen in this year’s selection: the book as part and record of a process; consistently applied, clear design choices; and interwoven streams of information.
This is a highly idiosyncratic book – not so much because of its manifest elements, but rather in its well-ordered, clean layout. The typography is a good example of this: one moment it is recognisable as a script, the next as sticky notes – but these references are also inverted. From a graphic design perspective, Notes on Devils leaves nothing to be desired.
If the thoroughness evident in the design had been carried through into its production, this would be the consummate book. More than once, the images are jarring – this could probably have been lessened by using a different raster. In addition, the book does not open with sufficient suppleness, which would have been beneficial to the content; a different choice of glue may have been more appropriate.
We cannot fail to mention the theatrical measure of including a red ribbon as a bookmark, which – like a kind of devil’s tail – protrudes from the book and (with a printed text) hangs over the cover. Once again, an extremely idiosyncratic, strong idea which also allows the exterior of this otherwise restrained book to attract our attention.