BRB – The Not So Big Book of Be Right Backs (Office Edition)

BRB is a personal project first conceived as a gift. Meant for the office world, BRB lets you display a quick message if you leave your desk.

For Christmas this year I decided that I should make a book of “be right backs” for the office-going people I know. I had a few ideas for some spreads and how the book would be put together so I went for it.

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Description: The Not So Big Book of Be Right Backs is meant to be a small display that an office worker could leave up at their desk if they happen to leave the cubicle. The idea is to break up the monotony of the workplace with a fun piece of design. With messages ranging from the anti-social to the playful, the book is meant to give the owner the opportunity to choose a page that fits them and their mood.

Concept: Mimicking the messages you might leave on chat services when they leave for a few minutes, BRB uses some internet language and witty remarks to let people know where you went. Set in Clarendon, the book is an eye catching item on your desk and let’s your co-workers know, in a humorous way, where you might be. The type is strong and in a way irreverent to echo the actual contents of the book. I saw the book as a bunch of well designed and pre-made sticky notes for when the old boss comes around for those TPS reports and you’ve gone to the bathroom or just skipped out.

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Solution: The book’s coloring was important to me and the yellow pages make it feel like the book belongs in the office. The cover is die cut to show the firt page which is also the title of the book. The binding method for the book is less than traditional, consisting of a big binder clip that presses the book to the back of a metal bookend. All of the materials used to bind and create the book are things you would find around the office. Because of it’s less than traditional binding method, BRB is easy to create and and rearrange.