Graphic Journey Blog

David Gentleman: Stamp of Approval

Royal Mail has issued a set of 6 stamps featuring original designs from their archive by David Gentlemen RDI. They are in celebration his outstanding contribution to the development of modern British stamp design from the 1960s to the present. In 2010 I recorded a candid interview with him about his life and work. (See link at foot) Here are four of the six.

To hear the interview click HERE

 

 

 

 

LOVED COVERS No.13

LOVED COVERS No.13: What better way to tempt the Count than a beautiful, tempting female neck (in this case, by 19th-century painter Lord Frederic Leighton). But the sensual cropping and understated typography is by NYC-based cover designer Megan Wilson. Published by Vintage Classics 2011.

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.11

LOVED COVERS No.11: New York-based designer Carin Goldberg was responsible for this almost clinical information graphics style cover but with a touch of humour, cleverly picking up on the book's funny and irreverent nature. Published by Penguin Books 2008.

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.

LOVED COVERS No.6

As one reviewer penned - 'Coming. Apart', "offers a vision of sexuality and alienation unlike any other". There's nothing better than a well-chosen, surprising image to express that feeling perfectly. Designer Daniel Benneworth-Gray is particularly good at seeking out these archival gems and creating excellent covers. Published by Deep Vellum 2023.

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

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A collection of short stories of often absurd situations derived from the strange in the everyday and the everyday in the strange. Canadian designer David Gee used the title to inspire his witty cover, Published in 210 by ECW Press.

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This cover clearly didn't run the sales bod's gauntlet. It explores 'unknown time' as a cultural phenomenon, approaching past futures, unknown presents, and future pasts. Alas, I don't know who designed it, but it's a delightful solution. Palgrave Macmillan 2017.

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A book based on an ethnography of immortalist communities—those who believe humans can extend their existence indefinitely through technological means—and an examination of other institutions involved at the end of life. In other words, don't switch the light off. Cover designed by Salamander Hill Design 2020 for the University of Minnesota Press

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The polymath Jonathan Miller also turned his hand to book cover design. Tom Wolff's novel, "The Kandy-Kolored Tangerine-Flake Streamline Baby, from 1966, perfectly captures the undulating psychedelic world of the period with its flowing, organic-looking lettering, almost identical to that created to decorate The Korova Milkbar featured in Stanly Kubrick's 'A Clock Work Orange' five years later.