I was talking to someone recently about designing book covers. The easy part for me is getting the cover concept down. You launch these cover designs out there and once they are approved you tend to put them out of your mind for a while. The hard part is that they all come back months later for final production and if there are a lot at the same time it certainly keeps you on your toes. Often they have to be rephotographed and finessed in photoshop which is time consuming and then there is the layout of the full cover with all the elements put in place.
I always get asked how many covers I do a year. One day I will sit down and figure it our. It's a lot of work, for sure, and it becomes hard to plan your schedule because you never know which cover is going to come winging back for final production at any particular time. I have to say though that I do feel it is important to have many different creative projects on the the go. The creative faculty is like a muscle that you have to keep flexing.
I layed out this cover with a more restrained back cover and spine treatment but felt that it was lacking. I liked the idea of re-using the index cards for the back cover copy as well.
I always get asked how many covers I do a year. One day I will sit down and figure it our. It's a lot of work, for sure, and it becomes hard to plan your schedule because you never know which cover is going to come winging back for final production at any particular time. I have to say though that I do feel it is important to have many different creative projects on the the go. The creative faculty is like a muscle that you have to keep flexing.
I layed out this cover with a more restrained back cover and spine treatment but felt that it was lacking. I liked the idea of re-using the index cards for the back cover copy as well.
McGill-Queen's Fall Catalogue cover
After all these years with probably 30 catalogue covers under my belt I figured it was time to discover my inner scot. Yes that is the McGill tartan on those sexy shads.
This is a photo illustration I just did for the New York Times Magazine. It is part of their "key" series where they ask designers to interpret what "key" means to them. From the initial brief: "Many artists and designers have found it useful to come at this project from a personal vantage point using their own personal keys or places they’ve lived or buildings that have meaning to them as a starting point."
I had two directions that I felt were strong but were still lacking the personal hook. The first showed the impression of my house key in my wallet. The second was a collection of key chains.
I decided to create a three dimensional key with parts of my home that had meaning for me and defined where I live. Among the objects there is a Quebec license plate, an old fishing thermos that belonged to my grandfather, a kilt with the Drummond tartan, a glass door knob, an old milk bottle (I live in a dairy farming part of Quebec) and the actual key for the front door to my house. The whole thing is held together by baler twine which is the duct tape of working farms. The final photo was taken by the amazing Tom Schierlitz.
A selection of other keys in the series
More Flys
Approval pending
Suggestion was made to show an apple pie with more flys than I had on the cupcake
Suggestion was made to show an apple pie with more flys than I had on the cupcake
approval pending
First sketch was rejected. Once I got my hands on the actual recipes I knew there was a way to use them on the cover.
First sketch was rejected. Once I got my hands on the actual recipes I knew there was a way to use them on the cover.
This is for a cover I am working on now. The book deals with junk DNA. From the brief: "...that most of culture and nature, including humans, are primarily composed of useless material." If we go with this direction I will have to photograph a collection of boxes but this sketch gives the general idea.
New Camera
After 10 years I figured it was time to buy a new camera. The old one certainly paid for itself. I picked up these bugs in a store and just know there is a book cover waiting for them. Just have to bide my time.
Hot off the press
Sometimes you totally luck out with a Royalty Free image. When I downloaded the low res image for the sketch I didn't realize that there was this cool dot pattern running throughout it.
This is a three volume biography of the life of Samuel de Champlain from his early years in France to all of his voyages to the new world. For me the challenge with this kind of material is how to present it in a fresh way. I thought it would interesting to use the same portrait of Champlain going from far to close - France to New France.
approval pending
I designed this cover a couple of years ago.
I knew there would be a second companion book down the line but put off working the details of how they would fit together until later. Well later finally arrived. I like these kind of challenges. You have to work within certain parameters but still find a creative solution.
Both books deal with history of imperialism, capitalism and decolonization. From the brief : “the American empire of possessive individualism” with its pervasive monoculture of corporate privatization” that incorporated Indian territory into ‘the ethos and laws of the empire of private property.”
I picked up on the horizontal bands from the American flag in the first volume, by showing horizontal plots of fenced-off land.
I designed this cover a couple of years ago.
I knew there would be a second companion book down the line but put off working the details of how they would fit together until later. Well later finally arrived. I like these kind of challenges. You have to work within certain parameters but still find a creative solution.
Both books deal with history of imperialism, capitalism and decolonization. From the brief : “the American empire of possessive individualism” with its pervasive monoculture of corporate privatization” that incorporated Indian territory into ‘the ethos and laws of the empire of private property.”
I picked up on the horizontal bands from the American flag in the first volume, by showing horizontal plots of fenced-off land.
Elgin Identity
I recently did the identity for the small town where I live. Even though I have been doing this for a while I still get a kick out of seeing my work in a bookstore or in this case on the side of a truck.
Brain Books
I seem to have found a niche doing covers about the brain. This is one that I am working on now about debilitating head aches. We are going in a different direction now but I thought this one was interesting.
Last Cover Sketch of the Decade
Approval Pending
The book deals with the final less humorous years of Twain's life
I thought it would interesting to put his portrait on the spine.
The book deals with the final less humorous years of Twain's life
I thought it would interesting to put his portrait on the spine.
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