Categories
Experimental Publication
Personal Branding
The Overview
The Life and Death of Joseph Faranda
The Life and Death of Joseph Faranda: Music to Play at my Funeral is an experimental publication that serves as an audio biography through the medium of an abstracted funeral program. The page has one of my favorite songs of all time, with lyrics and how to play the song at my funeral, as well as a story from my life. The book is meant to give readers insight about who I am. This publication also showcases my taste in music and how it influences me in my design work, each page is designed around the overall vibe of the song so that readers who may not want to listen to each song, may gather some information about what the song sounds like.
The Timeline
March-May 2025
The Heart of the Publication
This isn’t a cry for help btw. The Life and Death of Joseph Faranda is a reflection of my life through my favorite music. This book can be funny, it can also be very sad, but most of all it was completely written by me. If you ever wanted to know an uncomfortable amount of in formation about me, this book is for you.
Also, if you found this book decades in the future for some reason, please hire an actual graphic designer for my funeral program.
The Publication
Click Me! →
Click Me! →
The size and form of the publication is supposed to mimic and abstracted funeral program, with the verticality mimicking a mini coffin. The cover booklet includes a fold out poster for my "Posthumous Tour" and includes a QR code for a playlist. The two booklets being inside each other refers to the idea of collecting funeral ephemera inside of the program itself.
Cover Booklet
6" x 8"
Internal Booklet
6" x 11"
The Layout
The verso (left) page contains the lyrics of the song being highlighted. The lyrics are justified in the center in thin columns alluding to bible verses that may be included in a funeral program. At the bottom are tiny instructions for how each song should be play at my funeral. Each song was chosen for their importance to me in my life and their connection to an anecdote about my life.
The recto (right) page includes the short essay I wrote that relates to the feeling each song gives me. Each excerpt is short and personal, they even include typos and grammatical mistakes. I left these writings unedited in my portfolio because despite their imperfections, these mistakes in my writing reflect who I am, raw, and (semi) uncensored.
