Monthly Archives: August 2011

Recently Read, August 22nd – 30th

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Digital View on TheBookSeller. August, 30, 2011
This optimistic view of the publishing industry is a rebuttal to a depressing August 22nd article on the Guardian.

What can you do when your work is copied online? on AIGA,
August 24, 2011
Since joining Twitter I have observed a sickening amount of artwork-copying. It seems like every month one of the designers or illustrators I follow is complaining about theft of their design. 

How Much Do Book Designers Earn? on GalleyCat, August 23, 2001.
I was a little jealous of those Penguin book designers, but then I remembered about that NYC cost of living. 

2011 AIGA/Aquent Designer Salaries on AIGA, August 9, 2011
A survey of designer national salaries: print/web, in-house/solo. Incidentally, I’m really like ling the term “solo” designer, rather than “freelance.” 

The License to Shop: From Designer to Dealer On Imprint,
August 19, 2011.
A veteran graphic designer steps out of the design biz and opens a retail shop. Incidentally, his shop is in Millerton, NY, which is also the home of Oblong Books, my most recent indie bookstore drawing.

Original Jules Verne Book Covers, 1800s on Vintage Me Oh My,
July 18, 2011
Bookish eye candy: Gorgeous 19th century stamped cover designs for Jules Vernes books.

Recently Read, August 8th – 21st

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Quaint on Peter Mendelsund’s blog, August 2011.
Mendelsund scans in some pages from a 1968 AIGA 50 Books Catalog. It’s always fun to read past predictions of the future. 

Obama interrupts vacation to go book shopping on Los Angeles Times, August 19, 2011
President Obama supports an indie book store. 

Faber & Faber: The Romantic Poetry Collection on It’s Nice That, August 17, 2011
Miriam Rosenbloom art directed a lovely series of book covers for classic Romantic poetry. “I think also that as e-books become more prevalent and more aspects of our industry become digitised, people have become more appreciative of this kind of specially-commissioned artwork.” I totally agree with that. 

Where Did Those Naked Ladies Come From? on Slate, August 17, 2011
An author is confused by the odd cover design of his book’s Chinese edition. 

To E (read) or not to E (read) on A Rep Reading, August 17, 2011
A publishing sales rep proposes that publishes should more strongly consider their brand. Limiting the sales outlets lends prestige to their printed books. Interesting concept.

Maybe It’s Time for Plan C on The New York Times, August 12, 2011
This article interests me, because I myself left an in-house job to start my own small business. All the people interviewed in this story totally changed careers, jumping into work they had never done before. I’m doing the same type of work freelance as I was doing in-house, so my transition wasn’t nearly as difficult as it was for these guys. 

Time for book publishers to fight dirty on Chicago Tribune, August 04, 2011
The author suggests publishers should band together to create a pro-print book advertising campaign. 

HipsterIpsum
This isn’t an article, but check it out. It’s greeking with a hipster theme.

Killed Cover #2

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Fourstars

Maybe “killed” covers isn’t really a good term for these, because the project went on just fine (albeit with a different design). “Alternate comps” just dosn’t have the same cachet as “killed covers”. Anyway, I designed this one last year. I liked how the angled white lines created a dramatic shape and also referenced the cords of the parachute. View printed cover here. The approved blue version was my favorite, but I like sharing this “could have been.”

Killed Cover #1

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Gray

Everybody loves showing a good killed cover. I designed this one for Baker Publishing Group. The apostle Paul traveled all around the eastern Roman Empire, so I made these Mediterranean blue tile borders. The type complements the geometry of those tile. I thought it would be refreshing to use modern slab serif on an ancient book. Check out my more tradtional approved version.

Recently Read, August 1st – 7th

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What’s in Your Toolbox: Dana Tanamachi on Design Sponge.
August 3, 2001.
Exceptional chalk letterer Dana Tanamachi talks about her tools and
her inspiration.

New Will Self Book Covers on Creative Review. August 3, 2011.
A really nice series of novel covers published by Bloombury. 

Humiliation: BIG IDEAS // small books on …By Henry Sene Yee Design. August 2, 2011.
Picador art director and book designer Henry Sene Yee details the design process for the Koestenbaum’s Humiliation. It’s illuminating to see the ideas which lead to the final cover. I like the concept of the violated diary and the full jacket’s complimentary black and silver color palette. Looks sharp. 

RIP Push Pop Press on Joe Zeff Design. August 2, 2011.
Push Pop Press had created an app that allowed users to create their own eBooks. Facebook recently bought out the company killing off the original publishing direction, using the technology for advertising. 

Matt Roeser Has an Innate Sense of Curiosity About Averything… on The Book Designers. August 2, 2001.
Ian Shimkoviak recently interviewed Matt Rosner about his break into book cover design.

She’s Not a Strong Reader on Publishers Weekly. August 2, 2011.
Ugh. Some parents!

Paperback Publishers Quicken Their Pace on The New York Times.
July 26, 2011
Historically the paperback has been published about a year after the hardcover. Ebooks are forcing a quicker release date. I wonder if this will mean fewer paperbacks with their own cover design. Less time to prepare a new design may mean these pbks will simply reuse the hardcover design.

Amazon.com, Infant No More, Should Be Charging Sales Tax on Bloomberg. June 14, 2011.
I like the simple illustration at the top of the article showing amazon’s tax payments.

Book Court in Brooklyn, NY

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Bookcourtbrooklyn

I’m starting to run out of local indie book stores to draw, so my sister sent me a photo of one of her favorites. Tegan often stops in at Brooklyn’s Book Court, which is within walking distance from her apartment. I like how the store spans two old buildings. The brick building and the wood siding building are easily unified by the same colored trim. Here’s Tegan’s report:

“It was quite popular on the day I last went. Book Court is nestled in a cute part of Brooklyn that has lots of little shops, boutiques, beautiful old brick and brownstone homes, as well as tons of trendy restaurants. The store has pews and other sorts of creative seating. They have a good amount of art books, current fiction, and a childrens section. They have local interest books about Brooklyn and books by Brooklyn residents. I got The Brooklyn Cookbook which has recipes from restaurants and such in Brooklyn. The book has great graphics and a nice cover as well as a map of the contributing restaurants.”

—Andrew, AJB Design

P.S. Whenever I read the word “Book Court” the theme song to the TV show Night Court pops in my head.

P.P.S. That dude on the bench was actually smoking and checking his phone. I forced him to read a book and put him in a button-down.