BOOK DESIGN

Ecclesiastes (Seed of an Idea)

A speculative typographic and editorial concept exploring ancient wisdom literature and contemporary interpretation.

Project Details

Client: Personal / Speculative Project
Service: Editorial Concept / Typographic Exploration / Research-led Design

Book titled 'A graphic exploration of Ecclesiastes' by Micah Purnell, with red strikethrough lines crossing out the author's name.

A seed of an idea for a future publication exploring Ecclesiastes, one of the Wisdom books of the Hebrew Bible and Christian Old Testament.

Originating between approximately 450–200 BCE, Ecclesiastes reflects on themes of impermanence, meaning, and the cyclical nature of human experience. Traditionally attributed to Kohelet, “son of David, king in Jerusalem,” the text moves between philosophical reflection and existential questioning, concluding with a broader meditation on life’s limits and uncertainties.

This project begins as a conceptual response to the text rather than a finished publication — an exploration of how ancient philosophical writing might be reinterpreted through contemporary editorial and typographic design.

The intention is to investigate how layout, pacing, materiality and visual hierarchy could support themes of repetition, fragility, and reflection within the text.

See Kingdom, Ghislaine Howard, Be Still, and Sparks and Wake for published art book design.

Page from a book with black serif text on white background, a red lipstick kiss mark in the bottom right corner, and a quote from King James translation at the bottom.
Page from a book titled 'Ecclesiastes' showing the word 'Life' in large bold letters, with a quote at the bottom about pointlessness, and a note about the translation and exploration of the book of Ecclesiastes.
A historical scene sketched in black and white depicting people, possibly indigenous, engaged in a gathering or cultural event, with intricate details of clothing and surroundings.

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