With just 100 signed copies, the artist’s book blends playful illustrations with bold typography and bespoke craft details, marking a new chapter in editorial design and creative collaboration.
In a project that fuses illustration, folklore, and high-impact editorial design, London studio HONDO has collaborated with artist Astrid Chesney to launch Facing Forward – a limited edition artist book that celebrates the spirit of masquerade and the power of the face as a storytelling motif.
Featuring more than 200 illustrations by Astrid, the book is a rich and imaginative exploration of expressive characters and forms. Limited to just 100 hand-signed and numbered copies, the project functions as both an artwork and a publication, designed with precision and flair by HONDO’s Fran Mendez and Maria Vioque.
From the outset, the project aimed to be more than just a book. It was designed to feel like a complete visual object—something tactile, intimate, and full of surprises.
That idea of multiplicity is carried through every detail, beginning with the dust jacket. Folded in half to show two half-faces, it plays with perception and form, revealing different facial combinations depending on how the book is held. Each jacket unfolds into a full-sized poster, signed and numbered by Astrid, transforming the outer layer into a standalone art piece.
Every copy of Facing Forward features its own unique combination of illustrations: 100 different covers, 100 different back covers, and 100 spines, resulting in one hundred distinct visual pairings. This not only elevates the collectable value of the edition but reinforces the project’s central theme of expression in all its diversity.
Typography also plays a crucial role in the book’s design language. HONDO chose the striking Drullers typeface, known for its bold, characterful forms. Rather than using standard numerals, the studio created custom page numbers from Drullers’ glyph set, which resemble abstract faces themselves.
The idea that typography participates in the masquerade adds another layer of joy and expression, and even the numbers have personality.
This sense of playfulness and intentional oddness aligns closely with Astrid’s illustrative style. A Royal College of Art graduate, her work has a long-standing affinity with theatricality, folk tradition and cinematic staging.
Previous clients include Penguin, The Guardian, Pentagram, The New York Times, and Dazed, but Facing Forward gave her the opportunity to develop a personal, immersive body of work. The book was photographed in her East London studio, offering a glimpse into the environment that gave birth to the project’s vivid world of faces and forms.
To mark the launch, HONDO and Astrid are hosting a week-long exhibition at Three Rooms Gallery in Walthamstow, running from now until Monday. Alongside a private view tomorrow (Friday 11 July), the exhibition will present original illustrations from the book and a curated selection of Astrid’s other works. Visitors can expect a richly layered experience that’s part gallery show, part behind-the-scenes insight.
For HONDO, the project reflects its broader approach to editorial design as a space for experimentation and narrative. The studio is known for its multilingual typography and culture-led visual storytelling across print and digital platforms. Facing Forward extends that ethos into the realm of collectable publishing, with a focus on material detail and emotional resonance.
The release comes at a time when demand for independent artist books and tactile print experiences is on the rise. With the publishing industry reimagining the role of the physical book, especially in the age of screen fatigue and AI-generated content, HONDO’s latest work offers a timely reminder of what makes print personal.
The book invites you to look closely, play with the page, and embrace the eccentricities of design. It’s a celebration of faces but also of the joy that comes with not taking things too seriously. We could all take a leaf out of this book.
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