John Gall, I love you.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
on the best book cover designs of the oughts 9:53 PM
For a bibliophile like me, the Book Cover Archive is a frequently-visited site (and somewhere I find I lose hours clicking through). There are some real gems in there—along with some more questionable choices—but it’s always great for inspiration and seeing what’s out there.
The creators of the site maintain a blog about the Archive, and they recently posted a wonderful piece about their top ten covers of the 2000s (and runners-up!). Some highlights:
From 2001: A General Theory of Love. Design by John Gall; Photo by Boris Schmalenberger
From 2008: The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. Design by David Pearson
The design chosen for the best of 2009 is by far one of my personal favorite book designs for a book I can’t say enough wonderful things about. I won’t spoil it here—go check those links!—but it’s definitely worth picking up & reading.
The creators of the site maintain a blog about the Archive, and they recently posted a wonderful piece about their top ten covers of the 2000s (and runners-up!). Some highlights:
From 2001: A General Theory of Love. Design by John Gall; Photo by Boris Schmalenberger
From 2008: The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. Design by David Pearson
The design chosen for the best of 2009 is by far one of my personal favorite book designs for a book I can’t say enough wonderful things about. I won’t spoil it here—go check those links!—but it’s definitely worth picking up & reading.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
on not being eaten by a grue 11:46 PM
When I was in second grade, I was terrified of television shows like "Are You Afraid of the Dark?" or the kids' horror books my friends were so into. While I knew better than to try to read ghost stories before bed, I thought that the Goosebumps Choose-Your-Own Adventure series would be all right. After all, that way, I'm in control of the terror; I can choose whether to run away from the zombies and turn to page 19 or to try to fight them off and turn to page 67. Unfortunately, these books were no less scary than their more linearly-structured counterparts, but this early foray into Choose-Your-Own Adventure books has stayed with me since.
I've read a lot of these kinds of stories, from the horror and sci-fi tales so popular at library book sales to more literary works, like Kevin Brockmeier's story, "The Human Soul as a Rube Goldberg Device". I even have a fairly extensive knowledge of interactive fiction—or text adventure games, as they're more commonly called—which have a lot in common with their physical counterparts. While it's easy to map out your coordinates in a text adventure game, trying to map out the steps you can take in a choose-your-own story is a lot more difficult. For most people, it's easier to stick a finger in the biggest turning points, so you can go back if you've made a wrong choice.
Christian Swinehart is not most people. He's created a graphic representation—complete with explanations—of a number of choose-your-own adventure titles, which you can find here.
Not only are his designs stunning in & of themselves, but they're fascinating looks at these books in an anatomical sort of way, calling into question the way we structure our stories even when we think of them as linear—not to mention the myriad possibilities media like the internet can lend storytelling. Really compelling work.
I've read a lot of these kinds of stories, from the horror and sci-fi tales so popular at library book sales to more literary works, like Kevin Brockmeier's story, "The Human Soul as a Rube Goldberg Device". I even have a fairly extensive knowledge of interactive fiction—or text adventure games, as they're more commonly called—which have a lot in common with their physical counterparts. While it's easy to map out your coordinates in a text adventure game, trying to map out the steps you can take in a choose-your-own story is a lot more difficult. For most people, it's easier to stick a finger in the biggest turning points, so you can go back if you've made a wrong choice.
Christian Swinehart is not most people. He's created a graphic representation—complete with explanations—of a number of choose-your-own adventure titles, which you can find here.
Not only are his designs stunning in & of themselves, but they're fascinating looks at these books in an anatomical sort of way, calling into question the way we structure our stories even when we think of them as linear—not to mention the myriad possibilities media like the internet can lend storytelling. Really compelling work.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
on redesigning nabokov 12:03 PM
I'm not sure I have the words to describe just how beautiful these covers are.
Martin Venezky
Helen Yentus; Jason Booher
Marian Bantjes
These are only three in a series of 18 redesigns of Nabokov titles, set to release in coordination with the publication of The Original of Laura. One of my very favorite designers, John Gall, is behind all this. He explains the whole project over at Design Observer:
It would be a severe understatement to say I have huge, overwhelming, at-times-crippling talent-crushes on all of these designers. I'm in awe of each of their work as individuals, and knowing that they have all worked on this series makes me want to jump for joy a little bit. Every one of these designs is incredibly gorgeous, perhaps overshadowing Chip Kidd's design for The Original of Laura.
It's also worth noting that what makes these designs so compelling is nothing automated, nothing digitally created or emphasized, nothing from a computer screen. What draws the viewer to these pieces is at least in part their hand-crafted nature. Their technical skill is of course unparalleled, but it is their analog nature that makes this fact even more astounding. I'm really excited that this sort of refusal to use digital methods, this sort of insistence on traditional, 'arts and craft' media, is becoming a trend in the design world.
I'm also really excited to see these designs in print.
Martin Venezky
Helen Yentus; Jason Booher
Marian Bantjes
These are only three in a series of 18 redesigns of Nabokov titles, set to release in coordination with the publication of The Original of Laura. One of my very favorite designers, John Gall, is behind all this. He explains the whole project over at Design Observer:
Every so often, a dream project lands on your desk. Here's one: redesign Vladimir Nabokov's book covers. All twenty-one of them. Let me rephrase. Every so often the most daunting project of your entire life arrives on your desk.
Nabokov was a passionate butterfly collector, a theme that has cropped up on some of his past covers. My idea was also a play on this concept. Each cover consists of a photograph of a specimen box, the kind used by collectors like Nabokov to display insects. Each box would be filled with paper, ephemera, and insect pins, selected to somehow evoke the book's content. And to make it more interesting for readers — and less daunting for me — I thought it would be fun to ask a group of talented designers to help create the boxes.
Here's who I asked: Chip Kidd, Carol Carson, Jason Fulford and Tamara Shopsin, Megan Wilson and Duncan Hannah, Rodrigo Corral, Martin Venezky, Charles Wilkin, Helen Yentus and Jason Booher, Peter Mendelsund, Sam Potts, Dave Eggers, Paul Sahre, Stephen Doyle, Carin Goldberg, Michael Bierut, Barbara de Wilde, and Marian Bantjes. They were then photographed by Alison Gootee.
It would be a severe understatement to say I have huge, overwhelming, at-times-crippling talent-crushes on all of these designers. I'm in awe of each of their work as individuals, and knowing that they have all worked on this series makes me want to jump for joy a little bit. Every one of these designs is incredibly gorgeous, perhaps overshadowing Chip Kidd's design for The Original of Laura.
It's also worth noting that what makes these designs so compelling is nothing automated, nothing digitally created or emphasized, nothing from a computer screen. What draws the viewer to these pieces is at least in part their hand-crafted nature. Their technical skill is of course unparalleled, but it is their analog nature that makes this fact even more astounding. I'm really excited that this sort of refusal to use digital methods, this sort of insistence on traditional, 'arts and craft' media, is becoming a trend in the design world.
I'm also really excited to see these designs in print.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
on gui consistency (or not) 11:19 PM
Pretty incredible, considering how expensive this program is. Neven Mrgan posts about the different sliders all found in Photoshop CS4. While I've noticed a few different types of sliders in my use, I didn't even notice how many differences there really are:
(this last actually from Illustrator)
Yet despite all these seemingly inconsistent sliders, Adobe must know what they're doing. Right? Mrgan responds to some criticism (and defenses) here, but what it comes down to is that some sliders are meant to be different for a reason; and that human error is always a factor, even in high-end products. (But you'd think Adobe would have the budget for better quality control.)
(this last actually from Illustrator)
Yet despite all these seemingly inconsistent sliders, Adobe must know what they're doing. Right? Mrgan responds to some criticism (and defenses) here, but what it comes down to is that some sliders are meant to be different for a reason; and that human error is always a factor, even in high-end products. (But you'd think Adobe would have the budget for better quality control.)
Sunday, November 1, 2009
on typographic historical inaccuracies 12:29 PM
If you haven't heard of Mad Men, you've been living under a bigger rock than I have. (Believe me, that's saying a lot.) The series—and, by extension, the 'retro' look of the 1950s and 1960s—has been an inspiration to contemporary design in significant ways, altering the fashion world for seasons and romanticizing advertising and the creative-corporate lifestyle.
As with any period piece, though, there are bound to be inaccuracies. The show undoubtedly has dozens of people working on props, set, wardrobe, hair & makeup to ensure that the casual (and perhaps even not-so-casual) viewer isn't distracted by glaring inconsistencies, but no one seems to be concerned with the actual designs shown on the show.
Mark Simonson wrote a great article last month about the typographic problems on Mad Men, from the opening credits to the latest episodes.
Lucida Sans (1992)? In my Mad Men? It's more likely than you think.
Some of the glaring typefaces found in the show are Zapfino (1998), Gotham (2002; aka the Obama font), and Bookman Old Style (1989), as well as the Lucida Sans seen above. It sounds like the show has sorted out a lot of the type inaccuracies in the more recent episodes, but this may be in part because fewer & fewer plots center around the designs themselves.
Not that I'm complaining about the show, mind you. Just let's work on keeping it a period piece, please!
As with any period piece, though, there are bound to be inaccuracies. The show undoubtedly has dozens of people working on props, set, wardrobe, hair & makeup to ensure that the casual (and perhaps even not-so-casual) viewer isn't distracted by glaring inconsistencies, but no one seems to be concerned with the actual designs shown on the show.
Mark Simonson wrote a great article last month about the typographic problems on Mad Men, from the opening credits to the latest episodes.
Lucida Sans (1992)? In my Mad Men? It's more likely than you think.
Some of the glaring typefaces found in the show are Zapfino (1998), Gotham (2002; aka the Obama font), and Bookman Old Style (1989), as well as the Lucida Sans seen above. It sounds like the show has sorted out a lot of the type inaccuracies in the more recent episodes, but this may be in part because fewer & fewer plots center around the designs themselves.
Not that I'm complaining about the show, mind you. Just let's work on keeping it a period piece, please!