Billy Joel Tribute Booklet
A sixteen-page tribute booklet exploring Billy Joel's music, with particular attention to Vienna, through archival photography, serif typography, and a cream, charcoal, and burgundy palette.
- Deliverables
- 16-page booklet, typography and layout, colour system
The project explores Billy Joel's music through its reflective themes and emotional atmosphere, rather than presenting a conventional biography. I wanted the publication to feel considered and personal, using the visual language of vintage print media to support the subject.
The design relies on pacing, image treatment, and typography to create variation across the pages while maintaining a consistent visual identity.
- Research into Billy Joel's music
- Editorial moodboard and references
- Typography and layout development
- Color palette and image selection
- Sixteen-page booklet
- Front and back cover design
Cover and spreads
The booklet uses cream pages with photographs treated in black and white or burgundy duotone. Alternating between these treatments creates visual variation while keeping the imagery within a consistent palette.
The cover pairs Billy Joel with Piano Man in script lettering. Inside, headings such as Finding His Voice and The Stranger introduce sections set in narrow serif text columns alongside large photographs. A dedicated pull-quote page breaks up the reading sequence, while a script Billy Joel signature crosses one of the full-page images.
The combination of narrow text columns and larger photographs gives the pages a clear hierarchy. The restrained colors and recurring typography tie the different layouts together, creating the feel of a cohesive printed tribute rather than a collection of unrelated spreads.