Antonio Castro H. earned a Gold Award in the Graphis Design 2025 competition for his beautifully crafted book “Hued,” created for metalsmith Rachelle Thiewes’ retrospective exhibition at the Metal Museum in Memphis. Known for her striking blend of sophistication and edge, Rachelle’s work is anything but ordinary, and Antonio’s design rises to meet it. With a minimalist layout and bold visual pacing, the book lets Rachelle’s art speak loud and clear. Printed on subtly textured paper and wrapped in a saturated magenta cloth-covered box that doubles as a display stand (designed by Su-Yin Wong), every detail reflects a deep understanding of material and message. It’s a vibrant, tactile experience that celebrates the artist’s unique aesthetic—at once elegant, experimental, and unapologetically personal.
By: Antonio Castro H., Designer & Professor, University of Texas – El Paso
I was invited by metalsmith Rachelle Thiewes to design a book for her retrospective exhibition, Hued, at the Metal Museum in Memphis, Tennessee. As the only institution in North America solely dedicated to the preservation and advancement of fine metalwork, the museum provided a unique context for the project—one where the design had to honor both the artist’s voice and the legacy of the medium.
From the get-go, the concept behind the book and its packaging was to capture the dual nature of Rachelle’s work: a striking balance of elegance and funkiness. I approached the design with a mindset of visual restraint, allowing the layout and typography to recede in service of the work. The goal was to construct a framework where the pieces could breathe—uninterrupted by heavy design elements—while still embedding the book with a strong, cohesive identity.
My inspiration originated not only from Rachelle’s command of color and form but also from the curated persona she inhabits. Her aesthetic doesn’t stop at her work—it extends to how she dresses, how she accessorizes, and how she experiments with her hair: shifting shades of magenta, cobalt, lime, and orange. When she shared the exhibition title Hued, I knew the cover needed to speak to that vibrancy—not literally through her objects, but through a close-cropped image of her hair. It blurs the line between object and self; at first glance, it reads like one of her pieces, but upon closer inspection, it reveals something more personal. It’s a quiet visual surprise—one that people familiar with Rachelle’s work will recognize and appreciate.
The typographic system was intentionally minimal. I avoided anything that would compete with the work—no elaborate spreads or heavy-handed grids. The book serves as a clean, modern vessel to carry the content, with color usage and pacing designed to create rhythm, contrast, and flow.
Materiality played a critical role. The interior is printed on tactile, subtly textured paper stock chosen to echo the sensual qualities of painted metalwork. The cover and the custom box—crafted by Mexico City-based designer Su-Yin Wong—add another layer of engagement. The box doubles as a display stand when opened, wrapped in saturated magenta linen with the exhibition title foil-stamped in a holographic finish. It’s a deliberate indicator of the shifting, multidimensional quality of Rachelle’s work.
The exhibition opening was a resounding success. Attendees immediately recognized the visual connection between the book’s cover and Rachelle herself—a subtle, thoughtful interplay between artist, artwork, and design.
Antonio Castro H. teaches graphic design and illustration at the University of Texas at El Paso, where he is a professor in the Art Department. He received a BFA in graphic design and printmaking from UTEP and an MFA in visual communications from the Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia. Prior to teaching, he was a designer with Mithoff Burton Inc. in El Paso, Texas, and later a senior designer/art director at Parham Santana Design in New York City.
