symposion
„unvertraute nähe … noch ein buch”
irma boom
irma boom is an amsterdam-based graphic designer specialised in making books.
she studied graphic design at the aki art academy in enschede, after graduation she worked for
five years at the dutch government publishing and printing office in the hague.
in 1991 she founded irma boom office, which works nationally and internationally in both
the cultural and commercial sectors.
for five years she worked (editing and concept/design) on the 2136-page book ‚shv think book’,
1996 – 1896 commissioned by shv holdings in utrecht. the ‚think book’ was published in english
and chinese.
clients include the rijksmuseum amsterdam, paul fentener van vlissingen (1941-2006), inside
outside, museum boijmans van beuningen, prince claus fund, zumtobel, ferrari, vitra international,
nai publishers, united nations and oma/rem koolhaas, koninklijke tichelaar makkum, aga khan
foundation, geneva; camper, mallorca, museum of modern art, new york, yale press london,
bard gradute centre, new york.
since 1992 senior critic at yale university (school of art), new haven, ct (usa),
1998-2000 tutor (staff) jan van eyck akademie, maastricht (nl),
2004- member supervisory board gerrit rietveld academy, amsterdam,
2008- member supervisory board premsela foundation, amsterdam,
she has been the recipient of many awards for her book designs and was the youngest ever laureate
to receive the prestigious gutenberg prize for her complete oeuvre.
irma boom gives lectures and workshops world wide.
university of amsterdam:
irma boom collection: collection of all books and archive of documents in the library of the
university of amsterdam
museum of modern art, new york:
50 books in the permanent collection of the ‘design and architecture’ department
„boom/book”
i honour the traditional book but do not want to stop there.
my ambition is to develop the significance and the limits of the book. structures that come from new
media, the way text and images are treated, have given the book a new impulse. it is important to
experiment and not to be afraid sometimes to create utter failures; the book can keep its vitality.
there is a lot to explore in a technical way and even more importantly in terms of content and form.
the role of the designer has changed in many ways. the designer has become more an author, not just
serving a commissioners need, but being part of the total creative process. raising new questions, looking
for unusual answers.
i will show abt. 20 books which represent these ideas.