Manifestations of Faith

Creative direction and graphic design of a book on the preservation of R.C. churches in Trinidad

Winner: 2024 Gold ADDY for Book Design (Caribbean AAF), 2024 Silver ADDY for Book Design (District 4 AAF)

When things are good, you keep them going. Manifestations of Faith: Preservation of Churches and Chapels is the fourth book that architect turned architectural photographer Brian Lewis and I have worked on together. For this one, Brian’s mission was clear: to tell, through images, the stories behind 13 of the best-known Roman Catholic churches and chapels in Trinidad. Some are now in great condition, having undergone sensitive restorations or renovations; others have been kept well over the years; while others still are in need of serious care. Brian’s aim was to show the architectural beauty of these buildings, but also to appeal for their upkeep or for efforts to restore them to their original glory.

When Brian took the idea for the book to the Archdiocese of Port of Spain to help facilitate his photography of selected buildings, things got even more interesting. Ace writer Robert Clarke was brought on board; Robert thoroughly researched each church and chapel and wrote engaging texts that weave the design of the buildings into narratives about wider social and cultural developments. After reading a couple of his entries, I knew this was going to be a very special book. Other texts were commissioned – architect Rudylynn de Four Roberts (a restoration powerhouse) contributed her general expertise plus a detailed look at the work done on the Cathedral, while Anna Serrao contributed a lovely piece on lighting design.

After reading the first bits of text that came through, I couldn’t get the idea of illustrations out of my mind, so I commissioned Aliyah Emmanuel, a brilliant Trinidadian illustrator and designer, to do one for each building. They were lovely! These illustrations would be a key element that I used for patterned endpapers, and for section openers, along with quotes pulled from excerpts of copy.

I always determine the lead colours for a book based on an image or factor within the book itself. For this one, we had meetings at the Archbishop’s House in Port of Spain. It was a building I’ve driven past often and admired, and once I was inside the internal courtyard, I could see how the book wanted to be that same palette – rich orange highlight with warm neutrals. I’ve used Klavika for all of Brian’s books (it’s his company’s font) but for the last couple of books I’ve paired it with another font for titles and headings. Here, I used Mohr Rounded for its gorgeous alternates on the terminals that let that M in Manifestations do the most. Using little flourishes like this felt really fitting here; a nod to deploying beauty on top of a solid foundation.

SUMMARY | Role: Creative Direction and Graphic Design
Included design direction and layout, writer/illustrator/printer liaison
Publication © 2023 Catholic Media Services Ltd
Photography: Brian Lewis/LUMIS Photography
Research: Robert Clarke
Text: Robert Clarke, with contributions by Brian Lewis, Archbishop Charles Jason Gordon, Rudylynn De Four Roberts, Anna Serrao, Joycelyn Germain, and Thomas McCartney
Church illustrations: Aliyah Emmanuel
Lighting drawings: Anna Serrao
Copy editing: Simone Delochan and the CAMSEL team
Proofreader: Roslyn Carrington
Printed in T&T by The Office Authority (with Carlos Aqui as our ace print rep)
Book photos: Michele Jorsling