By Its Cover

"By Its Cover: Modern American Book Cover Design" looks like a book I should already have on my bookshelf. I'm not super excited about the cover, but the book itself seems pretty awesome.



A pretty extensive preview of "By Its Cover" is available on Google Books, and Amazon has a few thorough reviews. I really enjoy how the book begins (keep in mind it was published in 2005):

"Is the printed book destined for eventual extinction? Is the thoughtfully designed book cover approaching obsolescence? The availability of ebooks has indeed increased, and print-on-demand technology will likely change the way books are marketed and purchased. But there is something special about the mass-produced book as an object—it is more than just a presentation of the ideas of an author. When a text is published and the book is designed and printed, it becomes a physical manifestation not just of the ideas of the author but of the cultural ideas and aesthetics of a distinct historical moment."

Comic Sans Criminal

Making a poor choice with typography can really ruin any great design, especially book cover design, and especially when Comic Sans is the font of choice.


Thankfully, Matt Dempsey created Comic Sans Criminal to help the mislead. Their website helps you understand why Comic Sans was created in the first place, how its use evolved and why it is usually an inappropriate choice.

This little guide is well designed, fun to view and I actually learned some things I didn't know. CLICK HERE to view the site, and share it with your favorite Comic Sans criminal.

That's What He Said... from "Freedom"

The Guardian posted their "Five Best Lines From the Year's Best Books". My favorite on their list comes from Jonathan Franzen's novel "Freedom".

I've never read any work by Franzen but after all the hype the book has received (I swear it has been on every 'Best of 2010' list), I think I might have to grab a copy.

The Open Highway Readers

Joe Kral discovered these 1967 children's books at a thrift store.



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Jessica for Emma

A feminine serif by Jessica Hische for the cover of Emma Magazine.



"The issue is devoted to how some people are caring for girls — saving girls from slavery around the world, mentoring girls who are without a mother, and grandparents and others who take over when parents are out of the picture."

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Unreal Library

I feel like this image was plucked from my dreams. Along those same lines, we watched Inception this weekend and really seems like it could have been grabbed from the film as well. (Click to view larger)



If anyone knows where this image is from, I'd love to know, too!

Written Word

My friend Britt found these at a used bookstore and grabbed them for me. Cute, little and practical.

Christmas Books

I was given these beautiful things for Christmas.

 
I am equally excited about all of them.

1. I loved "Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs" and own a few other Klosterman books. I've heard only good things about "Fargo Rock City" and look forward to diving back into Klosterman.

2. "20 Under 40: Stories From the New Yorker" wasn't on my Christmas list, but it should have been.

3. I've already mentioned "Tree of Codes" on here once and Jonathan Safran Foer numerous times, but I'll say it again, this book is absolutely beautiful and the die cutting is so delicate.

4. Right now I'm planning on tackling one assignment "Design School Confidential" every two weeks. The projects look great and should really push me with what I still have to learn.

There were a lot of books on my Christmas list that weren't under the tree, but luckily a Barnes and Noble gift card was.

Sam Weber's Lord of the Flies

Cover and illustrations for William Golding's "Lord of the Flies", by Sam Weber.




(all images)

The Kingdom of... Ohio?

I lived in Ohio for about 4 years and I can tell you right now, there are no kingdoms anywhere in that state. Which is why Matthew Flaming's "The Kingdom of Ohio" caught my interest.





According to Penguin, this is "an incredibly original, intelligent novel—a love story set against New York City at the dawn of the mechanical age, featuring Nikola Tesla, Thomas Edison, and J. P. Morgan."

(image via Penguin)

A Fraction of the Whole

Really lovely cover for "A Fraction of the Whole" by Steve Toltz, designed by Nathan Burton. I really love this design and think it is successful because it makes me want to read the book.




After Googling the book, I found a few examples of the cover with blue instead of pink under the die-cutting. I think the pink works better with the sepia-toned image, though.

Burton went through a few different stages, and completely different designs before reaching the final. To see his first four attempts, click through the jump. To read an interview with Burton about his process on designing the cover, visit Faceout Books.

(images from Faceout Books)

Personal Library Kit

I've been pining after this personal library kit from Knock Knock for quite some time. It is basically the most perfect and nostalgic thing, ever.

Bookplates I Love

I've been searching quite some time for some great bookplates. The search is over. These bookplates from Etsy shop The Oddest Owl are beautiful.




(all images from The Oddest Owl)

The Imperfectionists

I was given "The Imperfectionists" in July and have apparently made a huge mistake by not reading it yet. Not only is it on the long list for the Tournament of Books, it just made GOOD's list of "15 Books You Should Have Read This Year".

Here are three covers "The Imperfectionists" has had. I have the third, which also happens to be my favorite.

Also, Brad Pitt bought the film rights so I should probably hurry up and read it before the cast list is released and I imagine all the characters as their actors. If you love journalism as much as I do, you might want to do the same.

REMINDERS: Exquisite Type

The cover for "The Exquisite Book" reminds me a lot of this Erik Marinovich design.

(book / image)

I Love Card Catalogs

I am incredibly envious of Rachel over at Small Notebook. Not only is her family about to move to Firenze for a couple of months, they have this lovely card catalog in their home.


I used to love running straight to the card catalog when we'd take family trips to the library. It seemed like such a fun game to flip through the cards looking for the book you wanted, then to hunt through the shelves until you found it. 




Rachel and her family use the catalog to store small items and keep their home clutter-free. So jealous! 

(all images from Small Notebook)

Christmas Trees

This is such a cute idea for December.

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A Scaredy Squirrel Beach Adventure

I love journalism, I really do. But sometimes I love my nanny job a little bit more. Like on the day we recreated the beach from one of their favorite books, "Scaredy Squirrel At the Beach".

Written and illustrated by Melanie Watt, the Scaredy Squirrel books are pretty great, really creative and I wish I could have grown-up with them. The stories center on a little squirrel with a big imagination. In each book he runs into a seemingly frightening situation, goes through great lengths to prepare for and prevent the worst, but ends up learning there was nothing to be afraid of in the first place. The illustrations really do make these books so great. Each story is very interactive and the kids I watch love pointing out each note and special section on the page.


For our own beach, we used blankets for sand and water, a toy meerkat instead of a pink flamingo and some of our favorite action figures instead of garden gnomes. To see more of the book and more of our awesome beach recreation, click through the jump.

Design*Sponge Contestants

Awesome blog Design*Sponge offers some pretty great scholarships. Right now you can vote on the undergrad and grad students' work, and view some great up-and-coming designers at the same time.

A couple of contestants have bookshelves in their entered work.



Top: Jesse Trentadue
Center: Sherry An
Bottom: Misha Kahn

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From NPR: 2010 Indie Favorites

NPR interviews some Indie booksellers about their favorite books of 2010. I haven't read anything on their lists, but have featured a few here before.  I've also added quite a few to my "To-Read" list and absolutely love some of the covers.


"These sellers have the chance to read publisher's lists, to see what will come out in a given season, and then to order, on the basis of what they know about the readers in their communities. It's such a personal process, so full of good and considerate connections."

CLICK HERE to listen to the story, and to view their full list.

Color Management, from ISO50

"Color Management: A Field Guide", from ISO50. The full guide is available on their website.

Whether you are designing for print or for the web, making the leap from what you see on your computer screen to the outside world can be a tricky process, fraught with unpredictable changes and unexpected results. The web is full of information regarding color management and sifting through it can be very overwhelming. Contradictory opinions abound and it can be difficult to find reliable sources of information. 

(images here and here)

REDESIGNED: Breakfast At Tiffany's

"Breakfast At Tiffany's" redesign proposal by Marta Cerda Alimbau.





Reminds me of THIS.

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Roald Dahl

This just inspired me to spend the evening reading The BFG.

“And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.” – Roald Dahl.

(via BOOOOOOOM!)

No Layout

So, No Layout is kind of awesome.

"A digital library for independent publishers, focusing on art books and fashion magazines. It is meant as a support for printed publications, allowing users to flip through full content on any screen without downloads or apps. A promotional and archive tool. "

Check out their website and register to use and save, or view their Facebook page.