book design inspiration II

this page layout is part of the graham gillmore catalog, designed by FORT design co. it makes very good use of white space. i like the treatment of the title and author's name, along with the bold five words that start the article.

book design inspiration

okay, okay. i know we're actually supposed to be looking at books' interiors, but i'm such a sucker for these graphic penguin classics covers!

white space

an example of white space? of course, the first thing i thought of was the beatles' self-titled The Beatles, also known as the "white" album. on the original pressings, the uneven text was practically invisible—instead of grey lettering, it was embossed in white. it was designed by richard hamilton, a pop artist, and was intended to resemble the look of conceptual art. the album design also is a stark statement of the beatles music at that time, compared to the psychedelic, vibrant sounds of Sgt. Pepper, released just one year prior.

typography II

otherwise known as "typography hardcore." i'm a tad nervous. following along in class is going to be a challenge, because when everyone's mastered the third step in a set of instructions, i'm still figuring out step one. hey, at least i'm better at shortcuts now (thanks, paul!).

graphic design example 15

communication arts
may/june 2010 (illustration annual)
p. 118–119
more book design. i love it, and i'd like to learn much more about it. i probably started noticing it with chip kidd's stuff. and he seems to have a huge influence on popular book design now. anyway, these are covers (illustrated by patrick leger) for a series of john cheever books for random house. his work "usually deals with 1960s suburbia and the lives of its inhabitants." very mad men.

graphic design example 14

how
march/april 2010 (international design annual)
p. 133
as a result of my class's second project, in which we selected a graphic designer, researched him or her, and created an AIGA t-shirt based on the designer's aesthetic, i became enamored of tibor kalman and other designers who incorporate social commentary in their work. this poster, titled "before/after" and designed by john scorsone and alice drueding, clearly sends a message about the horrors of war—and the healthcare civilian victims desperately need—in a stark, simple way.

graphic design example 13

how
march/april 2010 (international design annual)
p. 81
good lord, this book's concept is weird and gross on so many levels. but chen design associates' work was good enough to win an editorial merit award in how. i do like the design, especially the cover. it reminds me of illustrations in kids' books from the late 1950s/early 1960s—especially that proud cat with its eyes closed in post-evacuation bliss. plus, the brilliant little siamese giving demonstrations looks like my cat.