A Biophilic Year: 30 threads of the creative process
From the moment I noted the initial concept on paper, every aspect of A Biophilic Year has been shaped with care, thought, and dedication.
What follows is a venture inside the creative process, 30 threads from the tapestry of ideas, reflections, and decisions that have shaped this special editorial project, one that embodies anooi’s ethos in every way.
01 Soft colours
Warm white, dusk grey, soft brown, clay nude… A Biophilic Year’s colour palette is delicate and soft, a tribute to the nuanced tones of stone.
Through colour, the volume begins to communicate its intent, soothing the mind and guiding it into a dimension of presence and introspection.
02 Tactile eloquence
The combination of smooth pages, textured spreads, and a textile cover gives a welcoming tactile eloquence to A Biophilic Year.
Rich and soothing at once, the materials of the book stimulate with gentleness, transforming the act of leafing through into an opportunity to feel, not just see.
03 Imperfect beauty
Delicate wild grass strands illustrate A Biophilic Year. Some are straight, others bent by the wind or by their own weight. Some are sparse, others dense. All have their own individual character.
To obtain the illustrations, real grass strands have been individually foraged, photographed and then translated into marks on paper, intentionally retaining the imperfect, varied, and authentic beauty of the natural world they wish to celebrate.
04 Generous space
Occupying a modest portion of the page, the words find generous space to breathe within the book.
Such space is a metaphor for the mental space A Biophilic Year aims to create, offering fertile ground for new perspectives and ideas to grow.
05 Between half-light and brightness
Like a path in half-light leading to a bright expanse, every chapter of A Biophilic Year begins with a textured, dusky spread, followed by smooth, light pages.
The alternation of papers introduces each chapter with an aura of mystery, inspiring a curious and explorative state of mind that becomes an attitude to approach the content.
06 A curated book-object
Conceived as a book-object to be discovered through touch and lived with over time, A Biophilic Year becomes an integral part of the spaces it inhabits and quietly enriches their experience, communicating through form and content.
Slowly leafed through, displayed closed, or left open on a page that resonates, the volume stimulates with gentleness. Materials, colours, and scents caress the senses and ground the mind. Words open the way to reflection. Illustrations invite the contemplation of nature and its details… A Biophilic Year offers a layered, almost meditative experience, one that inspires presence.
07 People, nature, and design
A Biophilic Year resides at the intersection of people, nature, and design.
The publication begins by framing a mental approach, then it explores the value of placing people and nature at the forefront of design. The result is a nuanced journey across nature’s wisdom, the relationship between people and nature, and the role of spaces in wellbeing, both human and natural.
08 Connection
Connection is the word that opens the first chapter of A Biophilic Year.
Through its pages, chapter 1 explores the nuanced relationship between people and nature in its intriguing complexity.
09 Perspective
Perspective is the word that opens the second chapter of A Biophilic Year.
Chapter 2 dives into designed spaces, their impact on wellbeing, as well as their role in restoring a deep and balanced relationship with the natural world.
10 Experience
Experience is the word that opens the third chapter of A Biophilic Year.
Entering a more practical realm, chapter 3 unveils biophilic design insights that translate the essence of biophilic thinking into design solutions.
11 Integration
Integration is the word that opens the fourth chapter of A Biophilic Year.
Chapter 4 ventures into urban environments to discover the potential of biophilic thinking and design in the development of better cities for people and nature.
12 Purpose and practice
Taken together, the chapters of A Biophilic Year cover both theory and practice, including biophilic thinking as well as biophilic design.
This choice emphasizes the value of purpose in design, drawing attention to the inextricable combination of attitude and execution that characterizes a biophilic ethos.
13 The weave of relationships
In a sense, A Biophilic Year is a book about relationships. The relationship of people to nature, of humans to each other, of individuals to the self, and of design to all of the above.
A Biophilic Year lays the foundation for enriching and balanced relationships across all those realms, positioning the starting point of design in an awareness of purpose and perspective.
14 A book of aphorisms
Why a book of aphorisms? Because sometimes a concise sentence is more powerful than long pages of words. The beauty of aphorisms is that reading the same words at different times often yields a different thought, and two people reading the same words are likely to come up with different ideas.
This is the strength of A Biophilic Year: being a guide that leaves space for imagination and interpretation, setting a direction for creative thinking to unfold.
15 A collection of essays
A Biophilic Year doesn’t end on paper.
The journey continues online in A Biophilic Year Archive: a collection of 365 essays that extend the book’s physical pages into digital ones, expanding on the aphorisms individually. Further exploring the connections of biophilic thinking with interior design and architecture, urban planning, sustainability, as well as conventional human viewpoints, the essays provide additional inspiration and offer new starting points for reflection.
16 Radical in form and purpose
Articulating ideas through aphorisms and essays makes A Biophilic Year a nontraditional design book.
In fact, the purpose of this publication is also nontraditional, intending to invite reflection and raise questions in a world that too often prefers immediate answers and devotes ever less time to thought. Yet, reflection and perspective are essential components of good design, vital pillars to conceive enriching spaces.
17 A tribute to patience and perseverance
365 thoughts, one for every day of the year…
The structure of A Biophilic Year is a tribute to patience and perseverance. Through daily reflections, the publication mirrors the awareness that the balance between people, nature, and design needs to be cultivated day after day with actions and dedication.
18 A poetic language
Words are a fascinating source of inspiration. Different from images, words are traces that initiate a thought, feeding a non-linear form of creativity that rises from within, one that is increasingly less common to encounter in a world saturated with stimulation.
A Biophilic Year embraces the evocative power of words and expresses its ideas in the form of aphorisms, introducing a poetic language in the design universe.
19 Mindful production
The attitude suggested throughout A Biophilic Year – a mindful sensitivity towards the natural world – is the same that characterizes how the book is made.
Printed on responsibly sourced paper and produced in small runs, A Biophilic Year embodies a considerate way of being, using resources wisely and making only what is necessary.
20 Craft and technology
In both its structure and its experience, A Biophilic Year is a union of physical and digital. A book and an online archive. Words on a screen and papers communicating tangible sensations…
Demonstrating a form of coexistence, this combination reflects my commitment to embrace without losing, my faith and hope in a world where crafts and technology live side-by-side.
21 In dialogue with the environment
From its quiet colour palette to its spacious layout, the volume is designed to converse with its context.
Adding a layer of materiality to the space, offering a backdrop for shifting shadows, and framing objects within its pages, A Biophilic Year suggests a new way to display a book: in dialogue with its surroundings.
22 The art of noticing
A ladybug resting on wild grass strands, a stone caressed by sunlight, a plant casting intricate shadows…
The details and instants captured in A Biophilic Year Archive’s photos celebrate the poetic side that spaces reveal when experienced in a present, attuned way. An ode to the art of noticing.
23 Two moments, one conversation
The experience of A Biophilic Year is composed of two distinct moments marked by two modes of use and two forms of content: a physical book of aphorisms and an online collection of essays.
Uniting the immediacy of concise phrases with the slowness of longer texts, A Biophilic Year composes a conversation that, while unfolding, becomes an invitation to reflect. An invitation rooted in the power of words.
24 Answers and questions
A Biophilic Year doesn’t only give answers. It also raises questions.
Gently yet firmly, this publication questions conventional human viewpoints as well as common design assumptions, challenging the status quo to move design in a new, more constructive direction.
25 An invitation to slow down
In our fast world, A Biophilic Year is an invitation to slow down. The time and attention needed to read and interpret the content guide the mind into a calm dimension, one where ideas can arise and evolve.
Pause, reflect, be challenged, widen perspectives… This is the experience A Biophilic Year aims to provide.
26 Encouraging an open frame of mind
The experience of A Biophilic Year varies as a function of how deeply one lets the words sediment, how much one lets the content challenge accepted preconceptions, how open one is to carving new routes into the mind.
Through its structure and content, A Biophilic Year presents a gentle challenge to the reader, encouraging an open and unconstrained frame of mind; the same that is needed to move design in a direction that respects and replenishes both people and nature.
27 Every read an iteration
A Biophilic Year marks the beginning of a journey that will forever continue.
Intentionally thought-provoking and meant to be revisited over time, this publication has the potential to suggest new perspectives and inspire new thoughts with every reading, in an endless iteration of ideas.
28 Opening a dialogue
Leaving space for different thoughts to emerge, A Biophilic Year seeks to be a tool for collective reflection.
By offering multiple avenues for conversation, the book can bring people together within groups, teams, and communities, opening a dialogue on the many threads that connect people, nature, and design.
29 A special thank you
Concept, words, illustrations, photography, graphic design, material selection, wrapping details, production and distribution plan… A Biophilic Year is a project I have personally and meticulously curated in all aspects.
Within this very involved journey, a special thank you goes to the people I have shared this adventure with, the men and women who have brought my vision to paper with mastery and kindness. Being part of the book’s making firsthand has been a joy. Immersing myself in a place shaped by history, passion, authenticity, dedication and positivity has been a gift. And the whole process has made this project much more meaningful and even more personal. To Massimo and to the entire team at Tipolitografia Botalla, grazie di cuore.
30 A nourishing intent
A Biophilic Year is not just a project. It is a piece of the studio’s ethos made tangible. Conceived, written, designed, and crafted embodying anooi’s nourishing intent in every aspect.
A nourishing attitude towards spaces, as design becomes a force that replenishes both people and nature. A nourishing adventure for the reader, thanks to an experience that grounds the mind, awakens the senses, and invites reflection. A nourishing creative journey for me, as the process of working on this publication has been fascinating and enriching in ways I could have never imagined.
To be continued with one last, very personal, thread…
[EN] To celebrate the profound value A Biophilic Year has for me, I’ve decided to publish the 30 threads of the creative process also in Italian, my language of origin.
[IT] Per celebrare il profondo valore che A Biophilic Year ha per me, ho deciso di pubblicare le 30 trame del processo creativo anche in italiano, la mia lingua d’origine.
Italian version:
A Biophilic Year: 30 trame del processo creativo