The Book That Grew: A Revolutionary Design Concept

Fabiano Dalmacio's Innovative Approach to Sustainable Farming Education

The inspiration for this design came from the need for more sustainable farming practices in Ireland. Agriculture forms the backbone of the country's economy, but for it to survive, it needs to evolve. The book, grown entirely from the grass that Irish farmers nurture, offers tangible lessons and practical advice to help maximize sustainability. Each page, word, and diagram is shaped by real grass roots as they grow, making this a world-first in design.

The book's realization was a unique blend of gardening and meticulous craft. The 'printing process' was fulfilled by nature itself, shaping the grass roots into legible symbols over a growth period of several weeks. The result is a book that not only lays out a practical plan of action but also symbolizes the power of natural resources. When managed correctly, grass can work wonders.

The design project took place from October 2018 to May 2019, in Dublin and Amsterdam. The first step was to analyze the latest government reports and agricultural studies to identify the key areas of inefficiency in farming. Using the latest research and data on sustainability, the team isolated the ten most effective methods of reducing emissions relevant to the target audience of Irish farmers.

Designing for a root-based 'printing process' presented many unique challenges. Every element from words to symbols to borders had to be interconnected by channels for the roots to navigate. Complex farming processes were compressed into a bite-sized visual language of bespoke symbols, with the design of each individual glyph informed by the action or process it represented.

This one-of-a-kind book contains ten tangible lessons and ten pieces of practical advice designed to help maximize sustainability and increase profitability. These ten steps enable farmers to achieve a 'perfect' ten rotations of grass grazing per year, and produce ten tons of grass per hectare – a truly powerful number that will massively improve the sustainability of even the most efficient farm.

The Book That Grew was awarded Silver in A' Idea and Conceptual Design Award in 2021. This prestigious award is given to top-of-the-line, creative, and professionally remarkable designs that illustrate outstanding expertise and innovation. These designs, admired for their strong technical characteristics and splendid artistic skill, showcase a remarkable level of excellence and introduce positive feelings, amazement, and wonder.