Pantagruel and Gargantua
The Life of Gargantua and Pantagruel is a series of five novels written by French author and humanist physician François Rabelais during the 1500s. The series dictates the accounts of two giants in satirical prose that criticizes many things: the Catholic Church, Rabelais’ current political establishment, commoners, as well as popular philosophers. With the “eat, drink and be merry” philosophy of the main protagonist Pantagruel, his books were condemned by the Sorbonne and the Roman Catholic Church but were a popular success. Later on, the term Rabelaisian was coined inspired by his life and the style of his works, defined as someone or something that is “marked by gross robust humor, extravagance of caricature, or bold naturalism.”
The objective for this project was to redesign a new English edition of a French classic work of fiction for a contemporary audience, along with the promotional materials for a book release event. The design directly contrasts both the representation of the novels’ morals, narrative, and the intentions of the author. The classic and proper type treatment, representing establishment and Rabelais’ critical analysis, is being interrupted by scrawling graffiti of the obscenity in both the story and it’s characters. The colors reflect that contrast as well, with a crude and visually unappealing color paired with a classic neutral.
