Tell me who I am and give me a face. In it you will find facets of me, but also see a reflection of yourself.

The idea behind BASTARD was to bring together photographers, writers, illustrators, graphic designers, musicians and typographers to create a solid and unique book that also functions as a work of art. The profoundly personal impressions of the authors and artists have become intertwined and their distinct and individual visions have served to shed light on our modern culture -- on daily life, on the themes of change and continuity, and on the pervasive branding that is all around us. We must define who we are, be able to form both national and personal identities for ourselves, and in this journey we may come to see that globalization is not a completely negative force. Instead, the trend and phenomenon of globalization offers us proof that we are living in an era as exciting as one could imagine.

What happens when all of the disparate places and faces of the world «shrink» into a global village? What happens when cultures begin to merge and traditions start to dissolve?

Searching to define cultural identity and cultural bastarding, Christian Ernst, Lars Harmsen and André Rösler traveled to various hot spots highlighting the globalization trend. Writers with personal histories of emigration contributed their stories and poems. This book has been published with more than 50 unique typefaces, which have been created by typographers from all over the word. An engaging musical soundtrack is also included, as well as 50 high-resolution images, which serve to visually and aurally complement the book’s ideas.

Fonts: We take a special interest in typography, and have discovered that there are less new fonts designed nowadays, but they still play a big role: sampling, crossing and mixing. They are a form of expression. New fonts have been created by several designers: Peter Brugger, Stefan Claudius, Escobas, René Verkaart, Sirkka Hammer, Martina Hartmann, Sandra Hofacker, Paul Hoppe, David Hubner, Boris Kahl, Matthias Kantereit, Ingo Krepinsky, Heinrich Lischka, Michel M., Thomas Mettendorf, Christoph Rankers, Dan Reynolds, Henry Roussier, Christoph Seiler
All of these fonts are available at volcano-type.de or on the DVD accompanying the book.

DVD: a DVD containing fonts, free pix & illustrations, as well as sound files accompanies the book.