OUGD505 / Studio Brief 01 / Research / Alain De Botton

Red and White used similar to James Frey's Publication.
Foiled serif typefaces resembles imitation of bible.

Botanical illustrations and religious figure used ironically.
Single colour illustration imitates dated print process.

Religion for Atheists

'What if religions are neither all true or all nonsense? The boring debate between fundamentalist believers and non-believers is finally moved on by Alain’s book Religion for Atheists, which argues that the supernatural claims of religion are of course entirely false – and yet that religions still have some very important things to teach the secular world.'

'His latest in a long literary career is a sort of self-help book for non-believers, an effort to alleviate atheists and agnostics from the “stark choice” between total religious abstinence and full-blown cross-kissing zealotry. He encourages a cherry-picking method which acknowledges the pitfalls of piety while letting us steal the best that religion has to offer in terms of philosophy, moral values and art. In his characteristic, well-informed-layman’s style, de Botton tackles tricky issues with wit, anecdote and insight. Highly readable, and a beautiful object for the bookshelf to boot!

Religion for Atheists suggests that rather than mocking religions, agnostics and atheists should instead steal from them – because they’re packed with good ideas on how we might live and arrange our societies. Blending deep respect with total impiety, Alain (a non-believer himself) proposes that we should look to religions for insights into, among other concerns, how to:

- build a sense of community

- make our relationships last

- overcome feelings of envy and inadequacy

- escape the twenty-four hour media

- go travelling

- get more out of art, architecture and music

- and create new businesses designed to address our emotional needs.'

An alternative cover imitates a bible while communicating the concept
of 'seeing through religion' with the hole in the cover.

Another alternative cover less creatively shows an eclipse,
perhaps with the intent of communicating the blocking(moon) of religious views (Light).

Page layout in the publication lacks creativity.

Page layout in the publication lacks creativity.
A golden ratio grid appears to be used, this could have been appropriated
from it's use in the bible but I doubt it.