Artist’s Book vs Photobook

アーティストブック / 写真集／フォトブック

Both sit in Publishing and Editing, so the question is not what they belong to but how they behave. One is technique and the other layout. They are reached for with some of the same intent, which is where they get confused.

Artist’s Book

Artist’s Book — ブレイク『無垢の歌』扉 1789 — Wikimedia Commons / CC0Artist’s Book — ブレイク『ヨーロッパ：予言』1794 — Wikimedia Commons / Public domainArtist’s Book — ロシア未来派『社会の趣味への平手打ち』表紙 1912 — Wikimedia Commons / Public domain

Designs the book as the work rather than its container, counting the binding, the sequence, the paper, the repetitions and the reader's handling as part of it.

Photobook

Photobook — フォトブックフェア（CC BY-SA 4.0）Photobook — Ed Ruscha『Twentysix Gasoline Stations』1963 — Wikimedia Commons / Public domainPhotobook — アンナ・アトキンス『英国藻類写真集：シアノタイプ印象』扉（部分）1843 — Wikimedia Commons / Public domain

Builds its visual narrative across the whole book rather than in single photographs, working with sequence, spreads, margins, text, paper and format.

Artist’s BookPhotobook
Era1960s–19th century–
FamilyPublishing and EditingPublishing and Editing
KindTechniqueLayout
CuesThe book as matter / Sequential pages / Self-publishing / Reader interactionPhotographic sequence / Spreads / Repetition and pause / The book as matter
Best used forWork that only exists when pages are turned in order, issued as a book · Small editions where you decide the paper and the binding yourselfBodies of work that no single frame carries, held together by sequence and pause. · Editing where the passage of time is designed as the speed of turning pages.
TypeKeep text sparse and hold its position so turning has a beatGather the writing at the front or back, keeping captions out of the flow.
CompositionCompose page by page rather than by the spreadDecide one or two images per spread and use blank pages as rests.
MaterialPaper weight and opacity, the binding, the edges, the weight in handChoose paper weight and tone, format, and how flat the binding opens.
CautionPrinting the work neatly in sequence gives neither the order nor the touch any role, and the result falls back into being a catalogue.Selecting good photographs without working the order gives a stack and no arc, and readers stop halfway. Design how the time of turning pages and the paper and format change the meaning.

Put these two together

Publishing and Editing

IndexStyle