Bad bookcover blog

Posted by trav in Book Covers, Book Design, Book Talk, On the Web      1 comment

Jan
22

I ran across Judge a Book By Its Cover this weekend. It’s a public librarian’s blog that features the worst book covers in the library. Pure torture, if you ask me. There are some really bad covers out there. Ugh! Not sure I can check in too often. After visiting that one I always have to click over to Henry Yene See’s blog to cleanse my palette and calm down. His covers are great and his work is fun to follow because he posts everything from concepts through final work.

But that first blog kind of runs along the line of the Boston’s Museum of Bad Art (which is home to the immortal Lucy in the Field with Flowers).

Covering the covers

Posted by trav in Book Covers, Book Design, Book Talk      No comments

Jan
14

Across the pond, The Financial Times is running a periodic “check in” with current book covers. They’ve only picked 4 so far, but the insight from the news staff as been fairly good. They actually take the time to discuss some of the designers influences and frames of reference for each of the covers. I hope they keep it up.

What’s fun is that they are not just reviewing the covers of new releases. So you never know what might turn up. So far, the Molloy cover is my favorite. Very Alvin Lustig. And they say the spine has no title, author or publisher emblem, which would seem to make it one of the more useless jackets designed.

A bunch of Chip Kidd

Posted by trav in Book Covers, Book Design, Book Talk, Media, On the Web      No comments

Jan
8

The folks over at GalleyCat posted a link to mediabistro’s design blog unbeige which featured a year-end wrap up of Chip Kidd highlights. If you’re interested in bookcover design, Kidd news is always colorful and insightful.

I especially liked this article in The Telegraph, but only in the celeb-news junkie kinda way. Not sure why it’s important that I know what Kidd has over his sofa, but I enjoyed the piece none-the-less. Sort of a pop-ish look, at the man that puts out some of the best book covers, on the planet.

Also, here is a link to the USA Today page which is posting the serialized version of Kidd’s sophomore novel effort The Lerners.

Ok, enough with the love-fest…

Covering More Covers

Posted by trav in Book Covers, Book Design, Book Talk      No comments

Dec
5

The Book Design Review blog has listed their favorite covers from 2007. I have to say that my top two favorites are…

read more

Book Covers Gallery

Posted by trav in Book Covers, Book Design, On the Web      No comments

Dec
5

Here’s a great little gallery featuring the high caliber work of Helen Yentus. She’s pretty hot right now, so no doubt you’ve seen her covers in the stores recently. They’re all over Birmingham book stores, that’s for sure.

{via Book Patrol}

I have to agree…

Posted by trav in Book Covers, Book Reviews      No comments

Nov
29

with Bookslut.

Penguin’s new graphical covers for their classics series is great and gets this week’s “Thumbs Up”.

Plenty of pretty Penguins

Posted by trav in Book Covers, On the Web      No comments

Jul
19

I just had to share this gallery of Penguin paperbacks. Pretty cool! It’d be a fun collection to have.
I ran across that link over at Veer’s The Skinny.

A sound design?

Posted by trav in Book Covers, Book Design, Book Talk, New Releases      No comments

May
30

I’m really not crazy about this cover. Though I think the process is VERY cool. If I understand it correctly, then every book has it’s own cover, since each was “recorded” at a different place and time. I just wish that the designers had chosen different symbols, patterns, etc. for the machines to manipulate.
I realize none of this makes any sense. That’s why you should watch the first video on their site. The last video on site, is cool too, since it shows all the graphics being pushed around by the city’s sounds.
(via book covers)

Books w/titles vs. books w/

Posted by trav in Book Covers, Book Design, Book Talk, On the Web, Type      No comments

Apr
24

Great question/discussion going on over at The Book Design Review about book covers with no titles on them. Chime in with your two cents.

Score!

Posted by trav in Book Covers, Book Design      No comments

Mar
22

In an effort to save money and whittle down my “to be read” pile I have seriously curtailed my book buying this year. So far I’m doing pretty good. But today my willpower broke when I ran across a copy of Stefan Salter’s “From Cover to Cover”!

Yes, he’s one of THE Salter brothers. Though not as prolific as his older brother George, Stefan did hold his own as a book/book cover designer. This is a collection of some of his thoughts and opinions on design and publishing in general. Penned back in 1969 it’s sure to offer some unique insights.

I can’t wait to get that one started.