This exhibition catalog explores the artistic work of Pamela Colman Smith. The artist is responsible for the imagery of the Rider Waite Smith tarot deck, one of the most recognizable tarot decks worldwide. As a woman in the early 20th century, her contributions went largely unknown; however, in recent years, she has been given more recognition. The exhibition displays her card designs as well as examines her historical and spiritual inspirations.
The catalog design emulates the "little white book" that often accompanies tarot decks. The 8.25" x 4.75" dimensions of the book scale similar proportions to a standard tarot card. Because of the narrow page size and saddle stapled binding, narrow margins could be used for the inside and top (2p and 2p6, respectively) while larger margins were used for the outside and bottom (4p and 5p6) to create a comfortable reading experience. Further, a 6 column grid with additional subdivisions was used to proportionately organize images of cards in various quantities.
With the body set in 8.5/12 Brandon Text—a typeface inspired by geometric sans serifs from the early 20th century—and the display type in the high contrast serif Wayfinder, the type maintains a neutral, informational, and historical tone in the body without sacrificing the esoteric and mystical nature of the subject. Captions also used Brandon Text at 6.5/10.
Rider Waite Who? 1 Image and 4 Image Pages
Rider Waite Who? Article Title
Rider Waite Who? Article and Reference Image
Rider Waite Who? Article Detail
Rider Waite Who? 3 Image Spread
Rider Waite Who? 3 Image Caption Detail
