Interview Caleb Cain Marcus on Designing Photobooks — Melanie McWhorter Photography Consultant

Caleb Cain Marcus is a book designer who has worked on a variety of projects including his recent projects with artists Amy Elkins (Anxious Pleasures), Marie Smith (The Fog Has Lifted), Patricio Christakos (Sleepover Secrets), Nydia Blas (Revival), Mikael Owunna (Cosmologies), Frank Frances (Remember the South), Alex Christopher Williams (Black Like Paul), Marshall Scheuttle (Morningstar), and Jonathan Blaustein (Extinction Party). He partners with publishers including Kris Graves Projects and artists who want to self-publish. He is also a photographer in his own right publishing two books with Damani - Silent Aftermath of Space and A Portrait of Ice.

Caleb and I are collaborating on a book project with Sue Michlovitz and have lately been discussing the evolution of her work into book form. This prompted my desire to explore his thought on design in an interview. Caleb’s design experience comes from his printing work and the advent of a pandemic and the decline of printing for exhibitions created an opportunity to expand his book design work with the new aforementioned new projects. I see Caleb as embracing the craft of the small book object, creating works with a level of intimacy that is directly related to the subject of the work. He is thoughtful in exploring the use of the blank space on the pages, the design element often as important to design as the images themselves. Text elements receive the weight needed, yet, do not detract from the other visual elements in the books. There is a voice, a connection between each project, yet, as he states, each project is unique. The work and the collaboration dictate the design.

This may be a first in a series to explore the photobook through the eyes of designers. I hope you enjoy hearing from Caleb. You may find his photography on Caleb Cain Marcus’ website and contact him and review more of his designs on Luminosity Lab.