I chanced upon the Monocle Travel Guide Series Helsinki, and wondered why I hadn't stepped into a bookshop since the Series' launch in 2015 and I couldn't put it down.
Granted the essays were interesting, and the photography envy-inducing, I thought the best part of the Series was the design of the books itself. Slim with black hardcover and matt pages, the thought process that went into the design of the Series beat handsdown that of another travel publisher that is my go-to for travel guides. Somehow until the Series came along, I'd forgotten how matt pages could be strangely attractive, compared to glossy papers that reflect light and made it difficult to read for long periods.
At 12 pounds per Guide, I think it is a worthwhile investment, not only for the content and the photography, but for the design of the look and feel of the Series. And it certainly made me really really want to visit Helsinki.
While content is certainly important, how the content is communicated across is rather important too. If much thought went into designing the content but the mode of communication is not thought through, it would have been a wasted opportunity for communication. Content that is not artfully communicated across is as well as not being communicated if the recipient rejects the contents if the mode of communication is clearly not the most suitable one.
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