This fall, online news outlet Quartz is going offline with a printed book titled The Objects that Power the Global Economy. Expertly pairing content with form, Quartz’s book is a look at ten objects (like gene sequencing machines and turbo pumps) that have “already changed the way you live.”
For their daily updated site, Quartz does not prioritize traditional reporting. Instead, the editors focus on an intersection of angles, both in what they report on and how the communicate it. Likewise, the makers of Objects consider the book to be equal parts art and journalism, and it’s obvious from a flip through the pages that design plays an important role in telling these stories.
Objects features captivating writing alongside original work from photographers, illustrators, and most notably, designers. “Each page is custom-designed to showcase the journalism we did,” says visual culture editor of Quartz, Caitlin Hu. This is central to Quartz’s philosophy that a story should be told using the best medium possible. They’ve become known for skillful and well-thought out design choices online.
The company had Mathery Studio shoot each object in the book with a conceptual set to convey its purpose, and also collaborated with Italian designer Ramon Pez. The book is full of creative collaboration and striking visuals. Hu says, “Beauty is part of what makes it so informative.”
Special projects editor Lauren Brown explained that Quartz thought long and hard about how to best translate their mobile-friendly website content to the world of print. Their move to print wasn’t just for the sake of doing something in print, but rather it was because they had stories and a concept that warranted a more permanent form than digital.
“If you look at the book in 2018 or 2030, the stories are still relevant, the objects still mark incredible shifts in how our economy works,” Brown said.
Quartz’s book The Objects that Power the Global Economy is available for purchase on their website and will begin shipping October 4, 2017 for $35.
Images by Johnny Simon/Header image by Ramon Pez
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