The Book on Dudeism
Dudeism is a religion, philosophy, or lifestyle inspired by "The Dude", the protagonist of the Coen Brothers' 1998 film The Big Lebowski. Jeffrey "The Dude" Lebowski is a fictional character portrayed by Jeff Bridges in the film. Dudeism has sometimes been regarded as a mock religion due to its use of comedic film references and occasional criticism of religion in its traditional sense. However, its founder and many adherents take the underlying philosophy seriously. March 6 is the annual sacred high holy day of Dudeism: The Day of the Dude.
The word “dude” came from California skaters and surfers slang in the 60s. Since the 80s it has been used in casual conversations everywhere.
The main idea of the book is to showcase the dude’s lifestyle in everyday life. The pictures portray random men on the streets of Los Angeles, in their places of living, at the bowling, and other areas where they have fun.
The word “dude” became gender-neutral: today, girls call each other “dude,” and nobody surprised. They are some female dudes out there, and they are part of the book as well.
Since “The Big Lebovky” movie is a huge part of the whole culture, some illustrations were taken from the screen.
The “crafty” binding of the book relates to the philosophy of relaxed dude that value practicality over the polished luxury.
This project was part of the book design course, curated by Tacy Shiffman at Art center College of Design.
The book was on display at the student gallery during Fall 2018 semester.