Strut: The Peacock and Beauty in Art was a major scholarly exhibition at the Hudson River Museum, tracing the peacock’s symbolism across more than 150 objects from the 19th century to the present. Because the catalogue was entirely essay-driven, we developed an expressive layout in which text and image interacted closely — typography flowing around sculpture contours, asymmetrical placements, and compositions that echoed the elegance and theatricality of the subject.

Each section opened with a designed spread featuring a full-bleed image collage and a decorative pattern page derived from historical textiles and peacock motifs found in the exhibition. These provided richly atmospheric gateways into each essay while keeping the scholarship accessible and inviting.

A comprehensive exhibition catalogue followed, including feature spreads, poem pages, and an intricate inside-cover grid that showcased the full breadth of peacock-related works. The design balanced scholarly rigor with a visually immersive language suited to the exhibition’s themes of beauty, vanity, and spectacle. Editor Linda Locke was closely involved in the design phase, offering insights and ideas that provided invaluable support and helped elevate the project.

Book design, layout, typography, image preparation, and production coordination by Alex Stevovich for Hudson River Museum.

This section shows featured layouts from Strut: The Peacock and Beauty in Art in their printed sequence.