VisCom: Taxonomy Book Ideas

Alright, so I've done some more thinking on the overall concept of the book. I'm still going to be doing a stab Japanese binding, but I might try something more intracate than I tried in the Caligraphy course last year.  Perhaps something like this one:

Or perhaps something more simple and modern like this bound edition of "Flatland" that I stumbled across:

I want to use transparencies as a form of labelling over the images.  I might also decide to flip this concept, and print the icons onto the transparencies and do the labeling behind them on sketch paper. Both would look nice.

To continue this concept of transparency, I want to use a semi-transparent plastic or acrylic as the cover, with printed type behind it on the sketch paper for the title. something like this card used:
Should lend a nice clean modern look to the book.  However, this does create difficulty in opening the book with the stab bind since there wouldn't be a hinge.  So I think that I'll do some experimenting with hardcore scoring methods using a sort of vice or clamping tool to create a sort of hinge in the cover.  If I find a thin enough plastic however, it might just be able to bend, which would also be more friendly and clean looking. So maybe I'll look into that.  I think I might be able to find some of this material in some binders' covers like these:

I have some yellow/ green cord that I'll use for the stab binding.