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)
Category Archives: Book Covers
Books w/titles vs. books w/
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.
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Score!
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.
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“Distinction is the key…”
Wise words that I need to remember. I just finished reading an 2006 interview with Paul Buckley, Art Director at Penguin. He said they crank out 600 covers a year! I can’t imagine the scheduling nightmares they must have.
Buckley spoke directly to something I struggle with with every title:
“…tend to flood the market with books that have huge, foil-embossed type, and instead of these getting your attention, they actually fade into a sea of sameness – or if they do catch your attention, you might feel like you are being yelled at in some cheap, aggressive way. Certainly typography is a beautiful medium and large type can be gorgeous, but there are so few books out there that achieve this…”
“That’s why distinction is key, and not big type.”
It’s so easy to just make the type big and hardline the contrast. It makes the authors happy and marketing happy and it “pops”. But it’s amazing how small and faded that same cover appears when you’re in the store looking at it amongst the competition.
By the way, I stumbled upon the above interview while trying to catch up on a couple of the Flickr groups I like, Magic City, Typography and Lettering and Book Design, when I chased a rabbit that led to the article.
