Leanne Shapton's Covers for Jane Austen Novels

Once again, Leanne Shapton has created simply beautiful work. After finding these covers on Pinterest, I immediately decided I need to own them... despite any desire to ever read any Austen.

Her use of watercolors is pretty inspiring. She always seems to know exactly the right way to illustrate the subject. And she never fails to do something really great with only black and white.

This reminded me so much of her book, Sunday Night Movies. 

Yeah, I'd seriously buy those Austen novels with no intention of reading them. 

Learn more about Sunday Night Movies over on Visual News and see more of Shapton's work on her portfolio.

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some people always read Austen during the summer. Do you?

illustrated book jackets in similar colors

let's have all the kids review all the books

1950s Dick and Jane

Etsy is like it's own black hole in the internet. I could spend hours browsing just the vintage books for sale. I love this 14-book set I found from seller BookMonster of 1950s First Edition Dick and Jane readers.

The color combinations and cover illustrations are beautiful. The set is definitely something special.

You can see inside pages and more images on the Etsy listing.
And more Etsy treasures.

Ikat Journals

Is everyone over IKAT now? I can't tell. But I am certainly not. Which means of course I think these Ikat journals from Anthropologie are perfect replacements for the school supplies I don't need to buy this fall.

The spines are hand-bound, which means they definitely aren't the sort of notebooks I'd keep in my purse for quick notes, but their beautiful covers would look great "casually thrown" on my coffee table.

Plus, more Anthropologie goodies
and I'll never not need more notebooks.

From Cover to Cover

Ever since I heard about Matt Roeser's New Cover project, I seem to be noticing more and more designers and illustrators redesigning covers for books as they read them. It just seems like a natural thing to do. I love this idea and have even considered adopting a similar project in the near future.

Jenny Volvovski's project From Cover to Cover is similar to new cover, but she has given herself some really interesting type and color contraints, which gives the entire project a nice cohesive feel. (Extra points because she's Chicago based)


Here are a couple of my favorites from the project so far:

And while I really love the constraints Jenny has placed on the project, I also love that once in a while she allows herself to break the rules.

She also recovered The Art of Fielding, a book I haven't read yet but have loved following the covers for. I think Jenny's version is great, and the green works really well.

I can't wait to see what book is next.


Plus, more redesigns
& a really cool bookshelf.


(found via Design Work Life, all images From Cover to Cover)

Book Cover Potential XIV

I've been in Mexico this past week for a wedding (it was amazing) and am just catching up on life, work and To Be Shelved. First, I wanted to share these embroidered vintage photographs by Jose Ignacio Romussi Murphy that I think would make absolutely beautiful book covers.

More wonderful work from Jose here. 

Plus, more book cover potential
& some embroidered book covers.

(found/all images via Visual News)

Book Cover Potential IX

The first word that came to mind when I saw this photo was "Gatsby". It certainly wouldn't fit as a cover for the book, but I can definitely see it on a cover for a story with a similar feel.

(image via Fine Little Day)

Mickey Smith

As much as I love book cover design, there is nothing like a beautiful cloth-bound hardcover. My Updikes are all hardcovers in different color cloth and I love seeing them lined-up together. These photographs by Mickey Smith are a reminder of how aesthetically pleasing the simple combination of a good color and a bit of texture can be.

Mickey says of her work:

Volume documents bound periodicals and journals in public libraries. Most of these publications are being replaced by their online counterparts. Several titles photographed in the process of this project have been destroyed. Searching endless rows of utilitarian text, I am struck by the physical mass of knowledge and the tenuousness of printed work as it fades from public consciousness.

The act of hunting for and photographing these objects is fundamental to my process. I do not touch, light or manipulate the books and words—preferring to document them as found in the stacks, created by the librarian and positioned by the last unknown reader. I focus on simple, provocative titles that transcend the spines on which they appear to create conceptual, language-based, anthropological works.

Recent works in this series are multiple panel installations, called Collocations. Collocation is defined as "the act or result of placing or arranging together, specifically: a noticeable arrangement or conjoining of linguistic elements (as words)."

Order prints of these photos at 20x200, and find out more about Mickey by CLICKING HERE.


(image via)

Sleeping Colors

First things first, designer Elaine Fong has a great attitude about her work.

"Visual design is more thoughtful, beautiful and engaging when it has heart. I'm interested in working with people who are as passionate and focused about turning their ideas into meaningful projects — taking lemons and turning them into a ticker tape parade."

On her website, Elaine says color "constantly inspires her work" and that's pretty obvious in her visual study "Sleeping Colors".

"Sleeping Colors" is a book documenting all the colors Elaine has seen in her sleep over the past year. I think it is the ultimate dream journal and color palette.

Eventually, the project will lead to another book. I can't wait to see the finished product.

But while we wait, CLICK HERE to see more of Elaine's work.

(all images / found via design work life)

Visual Mantras

I'm having one of those Tuesdays that feels like a Monday. Days like this require beautiful books like Ana Montiel's "Visual Mantras".

In Montiel's on-going Visual Mantras project, she focuses on cycles and repetition, revealing the meditative form of drawing. If you would like to learn more about the project and the book, CLICK HERE to visit her website.

This is a limited edition book with only 127 copies, which isn't very many, but some are still available. CLICK HERE to grab a copy, which will come with an original watercolor drawing by Montiel. 

(all images / found via Design Work Life)

Hampus Jageland

Hampus Jageland created this new identity design for RIF / Reading Is Fundamental as a student project. RIF is a non-profit that promotes literacy in America.

CLICK HERE to view more work by Hampus.


(images / found via Graphic ExchanGE)

More "No one belongs here more than you" covers

Check out all the different covers for "No one belongs here more than you" by Miranda July. The cover I own is still my favorite but it is interesting to see all the international versions. Also, read my review!

(image)

Portraits of the Mind

"Portraits of the Mind" is a book about the history of our exploration and understanding of the brain through images. The cover is simple and I like it, but I'm really posting about this book because I think the content is fascinating. Watch the video below if you don't believe me.

Can't Unsee

I just saw David Brooks' interview on The Colbert Report. When I saw the cover for his book "The Social Animal" it reminded me of the cover for Steve Martin's "An Object of Beauty". They obviously have their differences but now I can't unsee the similarities.

This all reminds me that I still haven't picked-up a copy of "An Object of Beauty".

REMINDERS: Colors and Cake

I saw both of these images within a minute of each other this morning. They match up so perfectly and I was instantly reminded of a childhood birthday party.


Now I'm craving cake.

See more reminders here. 

(cake, book)

ROUNDUP: Andy

I was inspired by this image of Andy Warhol's "A Gold Book" to do a roundup of some colorful (duh) Andy covers.

(1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, gold book, flowers)

REMINDERS: Warm Colors

The colors in this Kate Spade ad reminded me of this photograph from Zack Bent's title-removing series.
(ad, books)

Carine Brancowitz

Carine Brancowitz has a really nice illustration style. I love the colors and patterns that fill her images. Plus, much of her personal work features books.

See more of Carine's illustrations under the jump.

(found via Supersonicelectronic / all images)

Book Cover Potential, V : Joe

This image is actually my friend Joe's profile picture on Facebook, but I think it would look pretty cool on a book cover. 



Here's why:

• I love how grainy and pixelated the image is, especially because it involves drinking. Joe said the image is like that because it is a picture he took on is phone of one block on a photo strip.
• The muted colors
• The idea that the picture is so focused on one person. You can tell other people are in the background but just the subject is fully visible. I think this would work well for a biography or autobiography cover.

Moleskine Cover Art collection

When I saw one of the notebooks from the Moleskine Cover Art collection in the store the other day, I did a double take. I was a brat about them at first, claiming Moleskines should only have black covers and even their color line was a mistake but after my tantrum subsided I decided this is a pretty fantastic concept.
"Benjamin Barrios, Paul Desmond and Maykel Cordeiro Nunes are the three artists who have been selected by Moleskine to start the Cover Art Collection. Available in three different layouts--ruled, squared and with plain pages--the notebook covers reproduce drawings from their sketchbooks. The Cover Art notebooks feature Singer sewn binding. For each image used, Moleskine will make a donation to a different non-profit organisation chosen by the artist."

(all images)

Traumgedanken

Maria Fischer's "Traumgedanken" (Thoughts On Dreams) is "a collection of literary, philosophical, psychological and scientifical texts which provide an insight into different dream theories." She designed the book as a model of a dream about dreaming; She designed something really beautiful.


The threads in the book connect key words, visualizing the confusion and fragility of dreams.



More information on the book and other works by Fischer are available on her website.

(all images)