Achla America zine

Achla America (אחלה אמריקה, “Great America”) is a poetry zine by Roman Eisenberg (Roman.) with contributions by illustrator and animator Ori Sindel. It was published by Minus Books in September 2024.

The design drew inspiration from the themes of the poems and the editorial work. The poems were written during a trip to the United States and explore experiences from there, as well as addressing aspects of Israeli reality and lifestyle.

The editorial narrative moves from “there” to “here” and accordingly, the design sought to uncover the connection between America and Israel – with the conclusion being the notion of the wild (or untamed) West (or East).

To express this idea visually, the design called for the use of Fontef’s Xylograf for headlines, paired with FrankG (Hagilda’s version of Frank-Rühl) for body text – a classic poetry typeface that, in its character, evokes the spirit of the late 19th to early 20th century. Additionally, Narkiss Tam (Fontef) was integrated into the typographic scheme to further emphasize the unique aesthetic.

Another key design consideration was the intensity and volume of the poems. Roman’s poetry is marked by bluntness, directness, subversion of conventional layouts, and even deliberate misspellings; as a designer, I felt as though they delivered a punch in the face.

Thus, the decision was made to maintain high intensity throughout the entire zine. Both the text and the illustrations were designed to fill the entire layout—extending right to the narrow margins (5 mm)—in an effort to evoke a sense that the page is constantly filled with visual noise.

Moreover, the fluctuating font sizes, which deviate from traditional typographic conventions, ensure that the longest line of any poem stretches from one edge of the page to the other. This approach is mirrored in Ori’s illustrations, which are rich in intricate details that span the entire format and are set in full bleed.