A Hand-stamped Design Book That Profiles Urban India’s Dysfunctional Folk.

Painful People is an open rant against urban Indian society’s misfits, albeit in a humorous tone. It uses a mix of illustration and witty writing to bring alive the author’s tone of voice.

The Design
We wanted to craft a collectible that was handmade in every aspect.

Instead of simply printing the illustrations, we created hand-stamps of each drawing/character. Thus separating the book from just another printed book off the assembly. Each illustration of every copy has been stamped on to the book by the artist himself.

For the book’s typography we realised no ready font could bring alive the emotions of the writer as well as his own handwriting. So we had the author write out the entire book’s copy, before digitally enhancing it.

The entire text has been traditionally screen-printed, in order to enhance the richness of the bold type.
Even the cover has been crafted to enhance the visual appeal and highlight the handmade qualities. From the bold, open-mouthed cutout to the actual thumbprint on the back cover.

Painful People has transcended the traditional printed book form by making each copy a limited art object. There are only 1000 copies in print.

International orders for the book are open on: www.tadpolestore.com

More info: tadpolestore.com

The ranting front cover design

A Hand-stamped Design Book That Profiles Urban India's Dysfunctional Folk.

Painful People is essentially the author’s mouthpiece for his grievances. The cutout illustration of a wide open mouth succinctly captured the book’s essence – an open rant against anti-social elements.