DO: This is My Process
The Design Observer’s Michael Beirut notes, somewhat tongue-in-cheek:
When I do a design project, I begin by listening carefully to you as you talk about your problem and read whatever background material I can find that relates to the issues you face. If you’re lucky, I have also accidentally acquired some firsthand experience with your situation. Somewhere along the way an idea for the design pops into my head from out of the blue. I can’t really explain that part; it’s like magic. Sometimes it even happens before you have a chance to tell me that much about your problem! Now, if it’s a good idea, I try to figure out some strategic justification for the solution so I can explain it to you without relying on good taste you may or may not have. Along the way, I may add some other ideas, either because you made me agree to do so at the outset, or because I’m not sure of the first idea. At any rate, in the earlier phases hopefully I will have gained your trust so that by this point you’re inclined to take my advice. I don’t have any clue how you’d go about proving that my advice is any good except that other people — at least the ones I’ve told you about — have taken my advice in the past and prospered. In other words, could you just sort of, you know…trust me?
Great article. Check it out.
Posted by Giles, Tuesday, September 12, 2006, at 11:36 AM.
Posted to Advertising | Book and design blogs | Business | Design | Jobs | Whatever | Writing
BEA Podcasts Available
If you weren’t able to attend BookExpo America 2006 in Washington DC this year, we now have a valuable FREE service from the show — Podcasts from BEA.
We have recorded approximately 24 of the favorite events and sessions and will release them as podcasts over the next couple of months.
Plus, our roving reporter has captured some special interviews in his quest to find out “What’s the Buzz” at BEA this year.
Please visit www.bookexpocast.com where you can subscribe to our podcast by email, iTunes or other popular podcast software. We also have a complete list of our scheduled podcast events under “Upcoming Podcasts” on the site.
I’ve spoken with a couple of people who went to BEA this year; both said it was “underwhelming” and “not as busy as usual.” Anyone else want to venture an opinion?
Posted by Giles, Tuesday, June 6, 2006, at 12:40 PM.
Posted to Book design | Book people | Book sellers | Books | Books, design, art | Business | Jobs | Publishing
Bush: Okay. Not Great.
Well, finally:
My feelings could best be summarized as “a shrug.”
Continue reading "Bush: Okay. Not Great."
Posted by Giles, Tuesday, April 25, 2006, at 4:14 PM.
Posted to Book design | Flickr | Jobs | Personal | Type and typography
Update on Bush
Update, Friday noon: Going to go into the weekend. Would rather beg for an extra couple of days than not get this one right — and it’s proving sticky. I so want to use the red, white, and blue, all the type treatments I’ve tried are icky (and there’s a tone of type — long subtitle and two authors), etc., etc. Sometimes things just don’t “flow” the way you’d like.
Update, Thursday afternoon: Red, white, and blue definitely do not work. I’ve settled on a couple of different crops, but the colors and type are taking forever.
Original Post:
After a ton of culling through photo selections, the final three, uh, candidates were presented for this two-color, scholarly title yesterday:
The editors went with the first photo, which happened to be my favorite, as well. Alas, all three of the final images are from Corbis, so from here, it’s not a photoshop game but more a question of taking this photo and making a book cover out of it.
Parenthetically, I generally prefer to use cover subjects that are facing or whose action leads to the opening side of the book. The image chosen has Bush looking towards the spine. While in no way as powerful as the left-action image from Oote, for instance, Bush is well-known enough (heh) to attract attention to a cover no matter what.
Red and blue (with some paper showing through, for white) seem like the obvious choice for colors, but we’ll see how that plays out. Also, there’s deciding how to crop this photo; the title is 6×9, and the photo obviously isn’t — so do I use boxes, cropping, a combo? Time will tell.
Suggestions and “here’s how I would put this together” comments welcome.
Posted by Giles, Wednesday, April 19, 2006, at 10:30 AM.
Posted to Book cover photography | Book design | Books | Jobs | Photography
Happy Easter
The Easter Bunny made an early delivery here at ospreydesign: a title called Understanding the Bush Doctorine just landed on my desk. Gotta hop, hop, hop to it, too — due next week.
Thankfully, he also delivered chocolate. Might make it…;)
I’ll post the approved draft of this one ASAP. If anyone else is working on something juicy, something wonderful, or just something, let me know and we’ll have an “currently in progress” posing party next week.
Meanwhile, wishing you and yours a pleasant holiday weekend.
Posted by Giles, Friday, April 14, 2006, at 3:11 PM.
Posted to Book design | Jobs | Personal
Preserved for Posterity
Found myself downright barking at a professional photographer tonight who had argued that restricting access to her work online was better than dealing with a few people out to cause trouble. I felt kinda bad afterwards; I was perhaps a little harsh. (Who? Me?)
I’m not a professional photographer, in the sense that I earn a living exclusively selling photographs, but I do sell photos, deal with photographers’ rights, and sell a creative, copyrighted or work-for-hire product/service that, while not as easily “stolen for use elsewhere,” is subject to a good deal of competition. Above-board, honest people and grab-your-ideas-and-undersell-you-later types alike.
Pushing your work farther and farther out into the world instead of walling it off clearly works. Foreword is my evidence.
Click through to Flickr and look at all the little notes by moving your mouse over the boxes on the photo. They’ll run you through all the stuff in the picture, including the icons, menu items, etc. (Warning: geek alert…;)
Sure, there are hassles. (Looking at new web servers [hosts] this week, for instance, so we can rebuild pages in the middle of the day without timeouts. You wondered why so few mid-day posts…?) It’s definitely a challenge to post regularly with the quality we’d all like to see — and that keeps traffic growing. Oh, and have I mentioned there’s still the rest of the web site to finish?
But it’s so worth it. Glad we can be here together, learning about book design. Whether it’s your first visit or your thousandth, thanks for coming by.
Posted by Giles, Monday, April 10, 2006, at 5:51 AM.
Posted to Book and design blogs | Book cover photography | Book design | Books, design, art | Business | Computers | Design | Ethics | Flickr | Freedoms and rights | Jobs | Love | Personal | Photography | Public domain | Publishing | Site news | Technology | Type and typography | Whatever | Writing
BEA Reminder
Email from Book Expo America today reminding us that this years’ show is May 19-21. Anybody know if they’re going yet? (I don’t plan to, but.…)
Posted by Giles, Wednesday, February 22, 2006, at 2:45 PM.
Posted to Books | Books, design, art | Business | Jobs | Publishing
You Want to do What!? Cool.
[Yale]: What are your plans following graduation in May?
Ashley Linnenbank: I want to work in graphic design, but I didn’t major in Art, so I’m going back to school for that. Starting in early July, I’ll be attending The Creative Circus in Atlanta. I’d really love to go into book design or maybe fuse my love for music with that of art and design for bands and such. So two more years of school and then I’ll be prepared to conquer the world.
Wow. I’d really love to go into book design. We’re on students’ radar…! Is book design becoming more than a niche?
Good luck, Ashley!
Posted by Giles, Wednesday, February 22, 2006, at 11:14 AM.
Posted to Art | Book design | Design | Jobs
Software Conflict 2.0
On the subject of why we’re all here, here’s a book cover design:
Worked on the interior this afternoon and evening; it’s, finally, almost there — precariously balanced between white space and line height. Need to sleep on it before showing it to the client. The cover, though, was tweaked for the final time a few days ago (hopefully…;) and both the client and I am happy with.
It’s 7.5 x 9.25, by the way — a cool size and an interesting creative challenge. Good call on the publisher’s part.
No where near sleep yet tonight, though. Instead of “creatively lighting” the above, I have other plans for Photoshop: this — and another swipe at the poster.
Posted by Giles, Saturday, January 21, 2006, at 12:06 AM.
Posted to Book design | Books, design, art | Business | Computers | Design | Flickr | Jobs | Technology | Type and typography
How do I...? Well, that's the question. Every day.
Been meaning to write this post for a while. It’s a good, mid-life crisis kind of entry. Pull up a chair.
First off, let me apologize — again — for the lack of posting. As I’ve mentioned before and no doubt will again, the past few months have been, shall we say, interesting. In no particular order, I’ve watched my marriage spring a leak, run around entirely, then finally sink into an angry sea; a business that I loved and, for a while, did together with my (former) wife, suddenly get very complicated; moved; been depressed and excited, both about life and work; moved again; rediscovered the joy of photography, Flickr, Photoshop, and, well, how much I suck as a photographer; ran behind in work; caught up; ran behind again; worked too many hours; ate too little; the list goes on. Generally, what was needed to get by and more only when I could get it.
When you’re self-employed or run a business, your personal life is so much more important to the daily goings-on — it’s impossible to take a few days on the employer’s dime to recover (you know what I mean — we’ve all been there). You either produce or you starve.
Perhaps that was on my mind when I named this photograph My Life:
A statue on the grounds of the Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota, Florida, gets overtaken by and slowly cumbles under the most relentless force of all: nature. His expression seems, I think, appropriately horrified.
Worse, there’s the constant swirl of everyday business pressures, including (the current lack of) health insurance, for instance — and don’t even get me started on the IRS. Been around and around with CPAs and have finally had to hire a tax attorney to sort it all out. I’m an artist, for cryin’ out loud — isn’t there someone who can just tell me what to do and where to sign?
Absolutely. With varying sizes of hands out, depending on how good they are. Just like all of us.
I’m thankful to be on my own, occasional contractor aside. I’ve watched people torn apart ethically and profesionally, and met more than a few for whom the money is more important than the ethics or the professionalism, in the quest to sustain employees. Once you’re a “business,” it’s this whole other thing. Like a child, it can be nurtured or exploited, but just like a child, I think that if you’re going to put it out there, it should be the best it can be. My approach (to either, honestly, which is absolutely why I don’t have kids — yet) demands that I not back down from what I believe in. Employees, like children, people who depend on you, make those beliefs seem less like “lines” and more like “gray areas” that can be tread upon when the payroll’s due (or the shareholders want to know why this year’s profits “aren’t growing sufficiently”). It’s easier to starve yourself for what you believe in any day — and I have respect indeed for those that somehow manage the balance.
Parenthetically, my old boss at “Trop” — another family member, and yes, I have been lacking sanity at times — and I have never really talked about my leaving corporate life to forage on my own. Here it is, Tanya: I think we both know I’m more like Blair (yet another family member — long story) than either of us were comfortable with, or were prepared to admit at the time. But we’ll save the details of “days spent working for [a graphics contractor for] a major juice company” for another post…;)
In my life, right now and for the foreseeable future, I need lines that represent those professional and ethical obligations. I need to make sure that every piece put out there, whether here on the blog (present entry excepted, perhaps), on Flickr, or, especially, in the work that I do, is the best it can be. Even if it means bending over backwards, moving, dealing with attorneys, going without food or sleep, whatever’s necessary to make sure those lines stay sharp. With all the crap going on, though, it’s hard to do in a timely manner.
A couple of clients have bailed because of the delays, reschedulings due to personal problems, and the like; one was comepletely professional, and the other was, well, an asshole. (Ahem. Excuse me. It’s late, and we’re being honest.) Either way, though, I understand and wish them well.
Those clients who have hung tough, though — some of whose projects have come through almost on time, and I haven’t even started on the troubles my iMac has given me this week (and will again next — but that’s yet another post) — have gotten some of my best work. That I haven’t been doing a good job of putting up on the web.
Trying to do better with that. Like the poster. Or this catalog, for instance:
A number of things stand out regarding this photo:
— It represents progress graphically. The Sunshine State Cookbook was relatively early project I did for this client, but the page around it is infinitely more sophististicated. Some of that’s better software (ahem — InDesign? Will post on that and the Quark 7 beta soon), but most of it’s several years of working every moment I could to make myself a better designer. (I didn’t do The Florida Bounty, and while I did do Mastering the Art of Florida Seafood, it’s okay if it’s a little lost off the bottom…;)
— It represents progress, especially, in terms of photographic (and Photoshop) skills. I’ve bitched about my camera’s shortcomings, both here and on Flickr, but the reality is that it does exactly what I need: takes good enough pictures. Some are great out of the box, but most need some Photoshop skills. Flickr’s various groups, especially Photoshop, have really allowed me to explore what others have done and work on doing similar things myself.
The shot of the catalog above is entirely fake, and it’s a fake I’m proud of. The catalog page only exists electronically — and is a draft. (Forgive. A recent bad habit.) But it doesn’t seem right to just post the page anymore; now it’s possible to “throttle” it. The lighting and shadows, the subtle (and hopefully natural) curve to the page, the perspective and cropping, the background and background page edges, the three-dimensionality, if you will — all exercises to highlight the design of the page itself. While learning about Photoshop. (25 layers in the .psd file; about half an hour all-inclusive to put together, including deciding to go back and add fanned pages in the background and re-uploading the photo, but a pristine hi-res PDF ain’t a bad starting place for Photoshop experimentation.) Never stop learning.
— It’s absolutely not perfect. The mistake caught on Flickr (see the note) aside, it’s already evolved from its original design and will again. Other mistakes will be found — please comment away! — and probelms solved. I’m sure, too, that months or years from now I’ll look back both on the catalog and photo and perhaps wish I’d done something differently. But that’s what evolution’s about.
— It (and My Life, above) represent the first photos posted here actually hosted by Flickr. Might cut down on the 4-5GB of bandwidth Foreword pushes through the internet every month — or, at least, source part of it from someone with better servers…;)
The “self-taught” thing is no small deal, either. I have a college degree, but not in graphic design. I figured out in high school that I was as good — okay, better — at making papers look good than writing the content. (Still probably true. Witness this post, for instance.) I figured out how to make money off of that skill on college, and ospreydesign was born, to use the child analogy again, nearly twenty years ago. Everything since then has been fits and stumbles, exploration and learning, conferences and classes, and most importantly, problems solved against deadlines.
This blog wasn’t started because of expertise in book design. It was started as a quest for expertise in book design. It remains, and will remain, that way.
Which brings me back to the beginning: “How do I?” “How did I?”
Ben writes (forgive for quoting without asking first):
Hello, I am painter, photographer, and draftsmen who has created many images that would be suitable for the covers of books, and I was wondering how one gets into the business. If you could give me any information, I’d be very thankful.
English might be a second language here. Lots of Foreword’s readers are from overseas. Not going to nail him for the poor wording, but it might be something to improve before going to look for, say, a prospective paying U.S. client. I wouldn’t dream of going to another country and begging for work this culturally aware, for lack of a better term, without knowing the language well indeed. (Might an arrogant American viewpoint, but that could be said about most of this post. Sorry.)
Or this gentleman, who writes:
Hello Osprey Design
I just came across your blog, which I’m now feeding via RSS thank you very much.
I am a [insert skill set here] and I’m looking for tips on how to get into book cover design. I would appreciate any helpful tips, resources, etc… that you could share to help me go forward.
Heh. Reminds me a little of this, when Amanda set me up to meet Chip Kidd in New York after I’d just finished and exhibited The Playmakers. One of the fond memories from my marriage — thank you, Amanda — Chip was very gracious to some wet-behind-the-ears book designer jerk still trying to figure out what he wanted (wants) from life.
He did then — and continues to, thank you Chip, and thank you Todd for the awesome post that triggered his most recent visit — do what I’ve always tried to do here, which is exactly what was requested: “share to help … go forward.” That’s why it’s called Foreword — it’s a play on books and “moving the ball,” as a friend says. (But then, you all knew that. Right? Right? Anyone? Okay, sorry, it’s late.)
So to Ben, the other guy, and the countless others that write, I’m sorry I didn’t answer you personally, and I’m truly honored you looked to me — and Foreword — for advice. Look around, search the posts, review the categories. Stay tuned for the refreshed web site (yeah, I’m really working on it), when it’ll be even easier to find stuff. I don’t mean to be impolite. I’m already doing everything I can with the few scaps of time I can put together — doing what you request. What we all seek. A quest forward to an expertise in book design.
Most importantly, know that I’m eager to share and absolutely welcome work or (better) links be sent along. But. Give me more to work with than just “how do I…?” Give me a reason to find a minute to post about it. Please!
“Success,” however you measure it, is up to each and every one of us to achieve, according to our own standards. Even if I don’t say it often enough — and I surely don’t — thank you, thank you, for trying to move forward, uh, Foreword, here.
If you’ve made it this far, hats off. Take the next step: leave a comment. This site gets more than five thousand real (read: nonspam) views daily, on average, and pathetically few comments. Most of that’s my fault; I just don’t have the time to actively participate in as many discussions as I’d like. (Here, Flickr, another blog, real life, wherever.)
To Ben and everyone, I keep hoping discussions will take off on their own. Post a comment to an entry that you’re interested in. People can keep track of topics with the “Discussions” links at the top of the page. I’ll do my best to keep up with the comment moderation. And, when the new web site’s implemented, it’ll have code for TypeKey users (a Movable Type thing — yet, yet another post) and code to recognize frequent commenters and approve them automatically so moderation’s delays will matter less.
Thanks for bearing with me, for reading Foreword, for being passionate about book design (and photography, perhaps), and, especially, for helping to build a community for all of us for move forward.
Be sure to read the follow-ups. Thanks.
Posted by Giles, Thursday, January 19, 2006, at 4:18 AM.
Posted to Advertising | Book and design blogs | Book cover photography | Book design | Books | Books, design, art | Business | Design | Flickr | Jobs | Love | Personal | Photography | Site news | Whatever | Writing
Book Designer Needed
Robert Muller is looking for someone to take over a project called Bullying Bosses: A Survivor’s Guide. Some details:
—Now, 92,000 words; 338 pages inWord. I’m poised to cut it by 20% (if still doable).
—Many info boxes. Each one isstarted, but they’re completed in varying degrees.
—I have a pdf version [of what’s been done] for review.
—Quark files are available — neat, clean and quick — or we start from scratch, working off my Word file.
—To some degree, my money has already been spent; and so has my time. I’m behind schedule.
Can you help him out? Email counselor (that crazy at thingy again) bullyingbosses.com.
Posted by Giles, Thursday, November 17, 2005, at 11:35 PM.
Posted to Jobs
Book Designer Needed
Stanford University:
The Book Designer/Desktop Publishing Specialist is responsible for evaluating and applying current book design pathways in conjunction with Design and Production Managers. High-level competency in book design is essential. An equally important component of this position is the Specialist’s composition competency. They will not only coordinate and designate templates and specifications for our outside compositors, but they will also act as compositor for a selected percentage of the Press’s varied list mix. Summarizing, this position establishes appropriate template protocol within the Design Department facilitating maximum quality standards, productivity and cost efficiencies in a university press environment.
Interested? More info here.
Posted by Giles, Tuesday, August 2, 2005, at 11:14 AM.
Posted to Jobs
Children's Illustrator Needed
…for book packager Pat McKanic in Sarasota, Florida. Her ideal freelancer would either be local to the Tampa Bay area and/or willing to help her through packaging her first children’s title by providing great illustrations on time and on budget with a little hand-holding thrown in.
Interested? Give her a call at 941-359-0326.
Posted by Giles, Wednesday, April 27, 2005, at 9:35 PM.
Posted to Jobs
Book Designer Needed
…at The Design Works Group. Quite an opportunity for the right person — and quite a studio to work in.
Best of luck. (Thanks Jonathan!)
Posted by Giles, Monday, February 28, 2005, at 10:44 PM.
Posted to Jobs
Production/Book Design Assistant Wanted
For: Entry level position, effective nearly immediately, for an independent book publisher in New York City.
Pay: Not so great, but I managed to get by when I had this job.
Disclaimer: This is a slightly premature announcement, and is not particularly official. But if you are a recent college graduate who knows their way around a Mac, or if you just happen to know one, it couldn’t hurt to send me a resumé. I’ll be happy to provide more information as soon as I have it.
Ideal Candidate: Should be willing to work hard and meet deadlines under less than ideal circumstances. Must be able to work with others under a lot of stress. Familiarity with InDesign, Quark, Photoshop, and Illustrator helpful. No artistes or design snobs, please.
Thank you.
Posted by , Thursday, August 26, 2004, at 9:50 AM.
Posted to Jobs
Job Posting
Better late than never...
Wilderness Press, publisher of outdoor guidebooks in Berkeley, is looking for a book designer/production artist. Good luck.
Let us know if you get the job.
Posted by Puck, Monday, August 2, 2004, at 12:26 PM.
Posted to Jobs