You know the drill. Best book covers and book insides. Ever. Also one thing I wanted to clarify from the last edition (packaging), where we discussed whether book covers were considered packaging and whether they should be in the same category. The way we have structured this section is Practice ⇒ on Shelves ⇒ Books / Music / Goods. Just, you know, fyi.
Inside:
S,M,L,XL - because it (re)defined the genres of big books and designer monographs
For book design, I suggest:
The Story of Art, Pocket Edition, by E.H. Gombrich
I realize these both are very recent, so they might not fare well with other more classic books. They aren't necessarily "landmark" designs either, nor have they made a huge impact on book design in general, but they are still beautiful and wonderfully executed. That should amount to something, I hope.
On Jan.16.2008 at 01:35 AMAtlas of Novel Tectonics, but you need to see it in real life to understand why..
PS: Anybody able to identify the font used?
Atlas of Novel Tectonics, but you need to see it in real life to understand why..
PS: Anybody able to identify the font used?
Bruce Mau didn't redefine large-format books. Irma Boom did. And before her, there was the American Type Founders specimen book of 1923. 1100+ pages of typographic glory.
Also, Ed Ruscha "Twentysix Gasoline Stations," 1962.
On Jan.16.2008 at 10:44 AMSpeaking of Irma Boom…
I got a chance to see the SHV Book in person during my junior year of college, absolutely one of my favorites.
Suggestions for best book insides…
VAS, An Opera in Flatland
House of Leaves
On Jan.16.2008 at 01:22 PMHere are more of my personal favorites:
Carin Goldberg, Kurt Vonnegut Series
Alvin Lustig, New Directions: New Classics (The Great Gatsby, Amerika)
Helen Yentus, Albert Camus Series
Peter Mendelsund, Kafka and Wizard of the Crow
Paul Buckley, The Wonder Spot
Also, Darren Haggar at Penguin has done some really nice work.
Non-Format, Oh the Glory of it All
Anything by John Gall
Book wise Chip Kidd's monograph felt very clever when I first saw it
He's done so many great covers; two examples: Dry, A Memoir and Jurrassic Park which morphed into a movie logo!
Gray318, Back Story
Rodrigo Corral, A Million Little Pieces
Stefan Sagmeister, Made You Look
I love this cover
Powell, Naked Economics
Paul Sahre, Killing the Buddha
An Underachiever's Diary is pretty classic, and DIY Covers for Penguin Classics deserve a mention.
On Jan.16.2008 at 06:43 PMDavid Pearson: Great Ideas vol. I. and Great Ideas vol. II. and Great Ideas (Germany)
On Jan.16.2008 at 08:38 PMHollis, you go, boy!
So, here is a question for everyone... Would A Million Little Pieces be something worthy of inclusion? Of course, it was the controversy that made the book memorable, but that minty cover with the coated bits of candy was pretty eye catching in every newscast graphic or when Oprah held it in her hand.
Funny to see this post by Armin coincide with this piece at Eyemagazine.com. It's all about books right now, especially since book buying and reading has declined so significantly.
On Jan.17.2008 at 09:08 AMclassic:
Neue Grafik
------
recent:
the beauty and the book on amazon
On Jan.17.2008 at 10:14 AMMorning Issue One
Morning is a limited edition art/zine that showcases up-and-coming visual artists from around the world. Screen-printed and hand-assembled, the first issue was released in November 2007 in Chicago.
This ones seems to come and go on the "viewable."
Robert Bringhurst's The Elements of Typographic Style.
VR/
On Jan.17.2008 at 08:14 PMOh you're going to think I'm being cute. But I just love this cover so much. Even more than his others. The color. The lettering. So perfect.
COLLECTION DE SPÉCIMENS DE CARACTÈRES, 1517-2004
Available from Oak Knoll.
VR/
On Jan.18.2008 at 02:33 PMMark,
I don't disagree at all the Irma Boom was the key influence in that space, but S, M, L, XL made it into a ton of hands. Now I'm not saying distribution makes the design (that'd be silly), but salesmanship is worth noting.
Lorca, 3 tragedies. Designed by Alvin Lustig. Best bookcover ever (in my opinion)
On Jan.21.2008 at 10:18 AM
A few that come to mind from a purely landmark design/designer standpoint:
Quentin Fiore's design for McLuhan's Medium is the Massage.
Massin's design of the The Bald Soprano
Erik Nitsche's Dynamic America
Herbert Bayer's World Geo-Graphic Atlas
Fabien Baron's design for the Madonna Sex book (though god forbid we bring up that era of design as its sooo unfashionable right now)
Certainly something from Lorraine Wild, Irma Boom, and a Phaidon book, although I'm hesitant to say what is any of these groups "best."
What about Bradbury Thompson's Washburn Bible? Now that was a big book.
I'd certainly have to second House of Leaves, or various kids books because of their influence on impressionable young minds, although I would always vote for a Leonni or Munari kids book over a Rand one.
On Jan.21.2008 at 01:17 PMMy favourite classic book designs are the Pennyroyal Caxton Bible and the Pennyroyal Alice. But perhaps that is craftsmanship as much as it is design.
On Jan.21.2008 at 07:15 PMThe Art of Looking Sideways, by Alan Fletcher.
For its content, design, and the seamless blending of both.
Don't forget anything published by McSweeney's. More specifically "You Shall Know Our Velocity" (Dave Eggers) and "McSweeney's Issue 11." Also, Jonathan Safran Foer's book covers and insides.
On Feb.28.2008 at 07:58 PMwow, so late on this, but I'm surprised no one brought up David Pearson's work for Penguin and Zulma.The most beautiful work I've seen in a while.
Also, Montreal studio Paprika's redesign of Les Allusifs collection is simply stunning in person.
On Nov.17.2008 at 01:53 PM
These two immediately come to mind:
Paul Rand, Mencken
Paul Rand, Leave Cancelled
On Jan.15.2008 at 05:13 PM