Graphic Journey Blog

Intelligent design

LOVED COVERS No 20

I'm sure you have all seen the so-called branding for the courier service EVRI that uses a different font for each letter, and over the last half-decade, this style became a design thing that appeared on design festivals, book covers, posters and more. However, 64 years back, the great US designer Ivan Chermayeff Hon RDI created this beautiful cover for a book on the artist Lee Gatch for The American Foundation of Arts (1960). I interviewed Ivan in 2007 about his life and work. To hear it, use this Link.

LOVED COVERS No.18

With a nod to Martin Creed, designer Jamie Keenan produced this brilliant cover in 2020. It shows the bravery of publishers Granta in this age of dumbing down this historic creative discipline, especially in the UK with its bullying conglomerates.

LOVED COVERS No.12

LOVED COVERS No.12: The second half of my publishing decade was in paperbacks with Fontana. I regularly commissioned Tony Meeuwissen RDI, one of the few conceptual designers/illustrators I would call an analogue genius. I treated his work with extra care when going through the approval process. All the cover designs he did for me back then remained intact without any change. This one was for Fontana (1977). Read a feature I wrote about Tony Meeuwissen in 'EYE' magazine  HERE: 

LOVED COVERS No 7

LOVED COVERS No 7: I imagined this quiet, delicate little indie cover being hemmed in by all those bullying books adorned with colour, quotes and crap, shouting, "LOOK AT ME!" Ridley's book is the touching story of his sports-reporting wife, Vikki Orvice, who died of cancer at the age of 56. The falling bail dislodged from the stumps is the perfect visual metaphor for this book of love, loss and negotiating grief through watching cricket. Published by Floodlit Dreams in 2020, it was designed by Steve Leard.

LOVED COVERS No 8

LOVED COVERS No 8: This sci-fi novel of a near-distant future —millions of kilometres from Earth where human and humanoid employees cohabit. New York-based cover designer Paul Sahre offers the water cooler as the perfect place for these differing species to hang out. Published by New Directions Paperbacks. It was rightly in the NYT Best Book Covers of 2023.

André François (1915-2005) was a much-loved French cartoonist who used no words; his work spoke for itself, and he became a much sought-after artist with commissions from magazines, publishers, and advertising agencies for his brilliance in visual storytelling. François was a good friend of Ronald Searle, another pen-wielding genius to be included here shortly in this series.

Mike Dempsey: Cover Meeting

This week’s episode is with Mike Dempsey - he’s been a practising graphic designer since 1964. From the late sixties, he worked as an Art Director for two leading British publishing houses. In 1979, he founded the design consultancy Carroll & Dempsey, which later became CDT Design Ltd. His work has earned him many awards, and in 2012, he was presented with a unique Black Pencil for the most-awarded designer in D&AD’s 50-year history. To listen, click HERE

 

Fernando Gutiérrez: A Classic Approach

I had the great pleasure of interviewing graphic designer Fernando Gutiérrez RDI. His career began in 1986 at CDT Design in London. In 1992, he relocated to Spain and joined Sumer in Barcelona. After briefly returning to London, he formed Studio Graphica in Barcelona with fellow designer Pablo Martin. In 2000, Gutiérrez moved back to the UK as a Pentagram Partner, where he worked for six years. In 2006, he established Studio Fernando Gutiérrez.

Originally born in London in the 1960s to Spanish parents, Fernando displayed artistic talent from a young age, often drawing and painting on the walls of his room. Despite being initially directed towards a trade job with the London Electricity Board, his art teacher recognized his potential and steered him towards a different path. Gutiérrez’s unique upbringing contributes to his identity as a genuinely European designer, with a unique way of choosing projects and the clients he works with.

To listen to the interview, click HERE.

 

Coveting covers 33

These disembodied elements set against an otherworldly backdrop are a perfect image for this novel about Benjamin Vaughn, a young illusionist who dies under mysterious circumstances at the height of his short career. New York-based Joan Wong designed it. She spans both the world of book cover design and editorial illustration commissions. Published by Nouvella in 2019

Coveting covers 32

A real-life thriller about a CIA contractor who vanished in Iran and the international search to find him: this perfect sophisticated, sensitive cover by US designer Alex Merto knocks spots off the usual bombastic creations for this genre. Published by Farrar Straus & Giroux in 2016.