You may not know the name Olly Moss right away, but you do know his work, whether it’s his Saul Bass inspired poster for Thor, goofs like “Wolverine Or Two Batmen?”, or the cover of Resistance 3.
He’s actually making the leap to books with Silhouettes From Popular Culture, and Titan Books passed along a copy for us to take a look at.
The book itself is fairly direct; aside from an introduction where Moss explains he used lasers to cut the black paper, the book is entirely the silhouettes he designed for an art show, the majority of which are in the book.
So it’s a quick read, but it’s one worth lingering over. What stands out about Moss’s work here is the fine detail the laser allows him, letting him work in witty details or develop much more about the image in just a few small cuts. The self-imposed minimalism brings out the wit in Moss: These are detailed down to individual strands of facial hair, and despite only working with black paper, are instantly recognizable. He’s also playful with the book’s design: the juxtapositions you’ll find between two pages can be hilarious.
I would have enjoyed some commentary and discussion on his various choices, or perhaps some discussion about the different between this and the silhouette work that Moss has done elsewhere. But the decision to limit the text does keep the focus on the art, so it’s hard to complain too much.
We’ve got a few examples to show you on the next few pages, and if you like what you see, keep an eye out for the book in stores next week.
