A gem of a book

What makes a good book project? First on the list would be that the project is top-driven by a client with a clear brief and open to new ideas. Often, clients want a book but are clueless about what sort of book they want, such that the project becomes a time-wasting process of elimination - okay, he doesn't want that; no, that one isn't working for him either; afraid that isn't quite it.

Next on the list would be a small team comprising top management members (three is a good number) that is empowered to make decisions on the book, a team that doesn't have to refer to the chairman or the council at every turn. And third, which is important to get the project moving along, is a liaison or link person, someone within the organisation, who is committed and excited about the project. This person has to know what materials are required and who to talk to, and be able to sort out meetings and interviews.

My brother Zaid Omar of Milk Design and I were fortunate to have the above when we worked on the tenth anniversary coffee-table book for the Federation of Malaysian Unit Trust Managers. We enjoyed the same experience with the book commissioned by the Malaysian Institute of Accountants (MIA) to commemorate its 40th anniversary. The team responsible for the book couldn't have been more top-driven - the members were MIA's president and vice-president at that time, Abdul Rahim Abdul Hamid and Nik Mohd Hasyudeen Yusoff respectively, and council member Dato' Khalid Ahmad. And the person pushing the project along was head of communications Iszudin Mohd Amin.

What they didn't want was a boring blue book. They wanted a fresh contemporary design and liked the concept of employing art in the book. When we suggested caricatures of key people to accompany quotations, they were all for the idea. The book utilised the ruby, the gemstone denoting a 40th anniversary, as its main design element. The red of the ruby was perfect to signify "a vibrant profession that plays a vital role in Malaysia's economy" and its facets were carried through as a feature within the book's pages.

The book cover of Malaysian Institute of Accountants: 

National Aspirations, Global Ambitions 1967-2007

The sharp facets of the ruby are reflected in the side-bar and captions on the page above 

and the illustrations below.

Some of the people interviewed are depicted in caricatures to accompany their call-out quotations.

Five original art-pieces set the stage for each chapter in vivid colours and flamboyant figures.

Tracing the History

Strengthening the Profession

Educating Accountants

Promoting the Institute

Going Forward

Zaid and I found the MIA book project team brilliant to work with because its members trusted us to deliver what we do best, i.e. to design and write. They didn't impose their personal styles on us and, thanks to their international exposure, they appreciated contemporary design. For example, on seeing an opening page as follows, some clients would balk and say, "What? So much space wasted!"

To their credit, the MIA team members knew what white space and balance on a page were all about. Working closely together with them, we succeeded in producing a gem of a book.