Design Trend: Painterly Type

On a recent visit to Powell's Books in Portland, Oregon, I naturally gravitated to the wall of new novel releases. For both Adult and YA, the type treatment of the moment is this painterly, brush-stroke-like hand lettering that's 1) quite large—as in, it takes up most of the cover; 2) a basic color, mainly white or black; and 3) at a slightly left-sloping angle. Some of my favorites:

Which then got the wheels turning and ultimately inspired the final iteration of Lauren Myracle's upcoming YA novel, The Infinite Moment of Us. A complete look at the making of the cover coming next week. Stay tuned!

Today's Inspiration: Apathy with a Side of Bacon

Apathy with a Side of Bacon. We all have those days. It's the dead of winter, R.E.M. is on the playlist, and life feels like meh. But even the darkest void can inspire some level of creativity (however strange). So give in to the apathy and see what happens. Just remember: There's nothing that can't be made better with bacon.

What I Did Today: Abrams Non-fiction

Searching for Sarah Rector. Thanks to Hurricane Sandy, I've worked from home the last few days and have had the opportunity to devote some much needed time to an upcoming Abrams non-fiction title, Searching for Sarah Rector by the award-winning author, Tonya Bolden. A couple of sample spreads from this book about a remarkable young girl and a bit of forgotten American history.

Searching for Sarah Rector will be available from Abrams Books for Young Readers in Fall 2013.

TJ Tattoo

TODAY IS MY BROTHER TJ'S BIRTHDAY. Just over three years ago, he passed away after a short, but sudden illness. He was only 30. Even though his life was brief, it was extraordinarily full. TJ was a poet, a rapper, a comedian, a loving brother, and a loyal friend. He collected people from all walks of life, and the viewing room at his funeral wasn't large enough to hold everyone who attended. TJ was so loved and is still very, very missed.

Right after his passing, I decided to get a tattoo in his honor. (He had quite a few of his own, so it seemed fitting.) To mark his birthday and celebrate his beautiful life, I'd like to share the inspiration and design process behind that tattoo.

TJ Tattoo: Part I 
TJ filled dozens of journals with his writing and poetry. We picked some of his poems to read at the funeral, which was when I first noticed 1) how terrible his spelling was and 2) the goofy way he experimented with his signature, turning the cursive "TJ" into a smiley-face. (Ever the comedian, my brother!)

Being a tattoo-virgin and having absolutely no idea what the hell I wanted to have inked on me forever, I started thinking about his signature. Then I figured, what's better than his name, in his own writing? So I started playing around with that idea, combining it with his birth sign, the Scorpio constellation.

 

I narrowed it down to these three designs, all variations on his signature. My family weighed in and we all agreed that TJ's name in the stars was the best.

Now that I knew what I wanted, the next questions was where I wanted it. I considered several different places, my shoulder, upper arm, but really felt that this tattoo was for me and I wanted it in a place where I would see it every day. (And, being the über visual person that I am, I had to virtually tattoo it—using stock photos—to see where it would look best.)

The forearm won.

TJ Tattoo: Part II
Getting tattooed for the very first time—I'm not ashamed to admit—scared me to death. But I knew it would be worth it. What I didn't know was that shortly after, I'd be planning my next tattoo. (It's like the Bare Naked Ladies said, "Call it impulsive, call it compulsive, call it insane; but when I'm surrounded I just can't stop.") My brother's favorite flowers were stargazer lilies. This is a photo, taken by my mother, of the ones that bloom in my parent's backyard. The summer after TJ's death, I was home when the lilies were blooming and I instantly knew what I wanted to complete my TJ tattoo: Lilies gazing up at my brother's name in the stars.

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Important Side Note/Life Lesson: My friend Renee has a smart theory that when practiced, keeps impulsive/compulsive folks (like me) from getting tattoos they instantly regret. Her theory: You've got to want a specific tattoo for a year. Then you've got to wait another year before you get it. 

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So, that's what I did. I give infinite credit to Annie Lloyd at Three Kings Tattoo in Greenpoint, Brooklyn for the design and amazing detail work. I think TJ would be proud.

I would give anything to hug my brother one more time, to tell him how much I love him. But I know that where he is, he's happy (and probably still making tons of friends). I remember him especially today, but also everyday when I see his name on my arm. I'm reminded that life is fleeting and every moment counts. TJ certainly made his count and he'll never be forgotten. I love you, Bubba—Happy birthday.

My brother, TJ, on his 30th birthday with his gift, the original Optimus Prime.

Type Jones

Image plucked from Upscale Typography: Regal Finesse Pro by Parachute, one of the Communication Arts Typography Annual winners. A superbly elegant face—the kind one wears when drinking a very highbrow cocktail ...

March 2012 NYLA Keynote Introduction

As promised, the introduction of my New York Library Association Youth Services Section keynote speech, "Under the Cover: The Art of Children's Book Design"

A Book Designer's Meme

A slide from my New York Library Association keynote speech, "Under the Cover: The Art of Children's Book Design." More highlights TK!

Design Trend: "The Knockout"

Over the last few months, I've noticed an emerging design trend for both YA and adult novel covers. It's something I like to call, "The Knockout." Essentially an image is clipped out of or partially hidden behind typography, so it's the image that colors in the type. I first noticed it in the original hardcover version of Lauren Oliver's Delirium.

(The jacket has since been redesigned by the talented folks at HarperCollins, but remains a stand out design.)

The K.O. caught my eye again when my local Barnes & Noble did a window display of Haruki Murakami's novel, 1Q84. In this case, the photo is printed on the case and the type is die-cut from a vellum overlay.

After spotting 1Q84, the K.O. concept has been at the front of my radar, so I've started to see it everywhere. From adult fiction:

And back to young adult:

 

Some covers push the boundaries of the technique by combining graphic elements with the K.O. typography, but the concept is still there.

Anyone who knows me can attest to the fact that I'm a huge type fan and LOVE when well-designed typography is featured prominently. Like any design conceit, The Knockout can make a powerful statement when well executed. And fortunately, it's still a subtle trend and not so ubiquitous that its worn out its welcome.

Under the Cover: Anxious Hearts

In honor of Valentine's Day, here's a look at the creation of a classic YA romance: Anxious Hearts, by Tucker Shaw.

Book Summary

“Evangeline,” he repeated, calling at a whisper. “Evangeline.” He was not calling that she may hear, he was calling that somehow her soul might know that he was devoted entirely to her, only to her. “Evangeline, I will find you.”
      Eva and Gabe explore the golden forest of their seaside Maine town, unknowingly tracing the footsteps of two teens, Evangeline and Gabriel, who once lived in the idyllic wooded village of Acadia more than two hundred years ago. On the day that Evangeline and Gabriel were be wed, their village was attacked and the two were separated. And now in the present, Gabe has mysteriously disappeared from Eva.
      A dreamlike, loose retelling of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s famous love poem “Evangeline,” Anxious Hearts tells an epic tale of unrequited love and the hope that true love can be reunited.

Design Exploration 

My inspiration for this cover actually came one weekend while I was camping. (See below: Me camping, i.e. Me freezing my tookus off!)

Staring out at the trees, trying not to think about cold fingers and toes, I started to think about one of my new book projects, Anxious Hearts. One half of the story is set in the Acadian wilderness of Nova Scotia, so trees and outdoor elements would be essential to the romantic backdrop. I also wanted the cover to show both past and present incarnations of our heroine, Evangeline. So, still thinking about the trees, I did a quick sketch:

And knew the tree was the perfect way to bridge the gap between past Evangeline and present Eva. Now all I needed was a gorgeous model, amazing makeup/prop/set stylists, and one awesome photographer to put it all together. Easily said AND done! I hired one of my favorite photographers, Jonathan Beckerman and he got to work creating this extensive shoot.

Inspiration

A folder of stock photos showing the kind of dramatic lighting and romantic atmospheric elements we were after:

Cover Creation

And Jonathan and Co. engineered (indoors, mind you!) the perfect romantic outdoor shoot.

I pieced some of the shots together to see if my original sketch idea would work—but the vertical title placement didn't fit with the actual image...

So we decided the best solution would be to use more portrait-like photos and wrap the photography around the jacket, putting eighteenth-century Evangeline on the cover, the tree on the spine, and modern-day Eva on the back. The time periods were further separated by blue and yellow tints.

While Jonathan was putting the final touches on the jacket photography, I was working on the title type. I fell in love with the typography and ornamental treatment on the cover of this copy of Longfellow's poem.

Using it as a starting point, I went through a few typographic versions of the title. Some became too Twilight-y, some too floral and fussy...

Until I decided to just drawn the thing myself. The final title treatment is based off of the letter forms of Adobe Garamond and the swirls of Zinco:

The title is also enhanced with ornaments that represent the different time periods. The top ornament belongs to modern Eva and Gabe, and the bottom ornament references the eighteenth-century lovers, Gabriel and Evangeline. I carried this theme throughout the book, using the ornaments as visual clues for the two different narrations.

And the whole thing put together:

Spring '12 Books!

It might feel like Fall, but the Abrams BYR, Amulet, and Appleseed Spring lists are hot! A sneak at some of our upcoming covers:

Surfer Chick by Kristy Dempsey, Illustrated by Henry Cole

George Bellows: Painter with a Punch! by Robert Burleigh, in Association with the National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC

Jean Laffite: The Pirate Who Saved America by Susan Goldman Rubin, Illustrated by Jeff Himmelman

Oopsy Daisy, Flower Power Book #3 by Lauren Myracle, Cover illustration created in Adobe Illustrator in collaboration with the art of Christine Norrie

Poison Most Vial by Benedict Carey, Cover illustration created in Adobe Illustrator

The Storyteller by Antonia Michaelis. Cover is a photographic composite created in Adobe Photoshop. The rose image is a stock photo from Getty Images and the background photo is courtesy of my husband, Stephen Helldorfer, for which he got his first photo credit :)

Welcome, Caller, This Is Chloe by Shelley Coriell, Cover photography by Jonathan Beckerman

The Five Lives of Our Cat Zook by Joanne Rocklin, Cover illustration by Chris Buzelli

Shine (paperback) by Lauren Myracle, Cover is a photographic composite created in Adobe Photoshop. (*A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this book will go to benefit the Matthew Shepard Foundation.)

Get Dressed! words and pictures by Seymour Chwast