Spanning 304 pages, Casa Mexicana offers an in-depth look at contemporary residential architecture in Mexico, featuring 26 remarkable houses and over 320 photographs by Edmund Sumner. The texts, written by Jonathan Bell, accompany projects by leading figures such as Fernanda Canales, Ludwig Godefroy, Pedro Reyes & Carla Fernández, and Tadao Ando.

The book was designed by Tim George, an independent graphic designer and photographer based in East London. His design for Casa Mexicana strikes a delicate balance between graphic precision and expressive warmth. Designed with great care and joy, the book balances graphic precision with a warm, expressive tone. The typography combines Bonto by Blaze Type with Aperçu from Colophon Foundry, resulting in a layout that feels both elegant and approachable. A special mention goes to Bonto’s question mark – a favourite glyph that gets to shine in the foreword titled “What makes a house Mexican?” by Fernanda Canales.

The physical design of the book is equally thoughtful: quarter-bound with a pink uncoated spine, yellow foil-blocked type, and a spot UV varnish on the cover. Among the featured projects is Casa 720, designed by Fernanda Canales and beautifully photographed by Edmund Sumner.

The 2011 edition of Wallpaper* magazine’s annual “Design Directory” makes good use of an early version of Lineto’s Prismaset, combining several of its 10 styles, namely Solid, Five, Three and Two. The sans serif is Graphik a.k.a. Plakat, (then) Wallpaper*’s standard typeface.

Cover photography by Leandro Farina, picturing the Tokyo outdoor chaise by Charlotte Perriand for Cassina, Piana folding chairs by David Chipperfield for Alessi, and the Druida barbecue by Juan Miguel Juarez, Laura Blasco and Alex Estevez for Mermelada Estudio.

To coincide with the 2011 Architects Directory in Wallpaper*, an exhibition titled 20 Houses: A New Residential Landscape was on show at The Architecture Foundation in London. For the directory and show, 20 practices from around the world were given an open brief to design their ideal holiday home. Source: Tim George

See also Prismaset in use for Wallpaper* magazine’s “Design Directory” issue a month later.