A few iterations on a two book series (non-fiction) for a local author. At the time of posting, covers 1 and 2 are favoured, though further modifications are likely. As ever, selecting, manipulating, kerning etc. type is more than half the fun. Typefaces used include Trajan Sans, Trade Gothic, Alternate Gothic, Museo and Plume.
Australian Society of Authors looks out for Self Publishers
The ASA has compiled a compact PDF booklet with practical advice for self publishers. Of particular note is their discussion re. pricing a book by factoring in production, distribution and bookstore costs, and a rather short list of distributors who may be willing to take on self-published authors (especially those with active promotional plans). The Arts Law Centre of Australia has also compiled an in-depth discussion of self publishing from their rights/legal perspective.
Kids Book Reviews
Kids Book Review is an attractive and frequently updated Australian book review blog. Apart from thoughtful reviews, the site also features interviews with illustrators and authors. Due to the sheer volume of review requests, the volunteers who run the site will not review self-published work. The site also has an excellent list of writing awards and events, plus links to related blogs and services.
A Good Walk Spoiled — Book Cover Design
The Australian Golfer was originally published in 1906. The Australian Golf Society decided to reissue this early classic of Australian sports writing. We were tasked with typesetting and cover design (based on the original). The Victorian/Edwardian love of ornamentation is in evidence, but toned down a little more than the earlier version.
My Little Red Corvette — Cover Design
Our client wanted a stark, almost monochromatic cover featuring a vintage red corvette, and an assault-rifle wielding protagonist, all in the gritty shadow of a celebrity obsessed LA. Plus blood. There will always be blood. Typeset in Veneer italic and Magneto bold.
Big blocks for big boys (and girls)
An enterprising designer has come up with a system of enormous lego-like blocks that can be used to build a variety of non load-based structures, while channeling one's inner seven year old.
Views from Our Robot Emissaries
An astonishing set of robot and astronaut-taken space images collated by the Atlantic magazine photo editor. We have eyes almost everywhere now, and know orders of magnitude more about the solar system than a generation ago.
Image of the mountains of Pluto (!): Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory / Southwest Research Institute / NASA
If You Liked Author A You Will Like Author B
Amazon and other online booksellers are very good at picking up on your searches and purchases to anticipate other items you may be interested in. Of course, the selections are made by algorithms rather than Amazon staff members. Awesome Author Recommender goes in the other direction, using human beings to point the way from one author to the next. Judging from my searches, the site does not go very deep at present, but the authors it did highlight from the searches I made were definitely top drawer.
Displaying Your Fonts in a Browser
Wordmark gives users a way of displaying the fonts resident on their computer. You can enter your own text string, display black on white or reversed, increase the font size. An excellent way to make font selection a bit easier.
Four Minimalist Covers — Book Design
Four covers for the same publisher, each under the same imprint. All yellow backgrounds, strong, simple typography, minimal image content. There is much to be said for paring design back to its absolute essentials. Less clutter, less distraction, more emphasis on the content and the beauty of typography. Typefaces used include League Gothic, Clarendon Bold Condensed and Bell Gothic Black.
Guns, Money and the CIA — Book Cover Design
Some banks do more than rip off consumers. The bank covered in this story, for example, delved into drugs, gun-running and financial shenanigans. This soon-to-be-released book lifts the lid on a decades-old murder mystery. Building on a cover design initiated by the author, we aimed for a slightly sinister look and high impact type. Typefaces used are League Gothic and Veneer.
The Road to Follow — Book Cover
A multi-generational tale of Italian-Australian family life. We wanted to convey the feel of the story through a single image. The story focuses on the female members of the family. Typefaces used: Bianca, Orpheus.
Early Sydney Examined — Book Cover
Our client had access to many interesting artworks from colonial Sydney. The chosen image shows Sydney Cove in a very early stage of development, more a village than a town. The typography is simple and in keeping with typefaces in use at the time.
You Go, Books!
Printed books seem have unexpected staying power. The growth of the ebook segment of the market has slowed dramatically, and independent bookstores have experienced a modest expansion, both in terms of the number of stores and overall sales. Readers cite the tactile aspect of the printed word, along with the aesthetics of a good bookshelf. Not that the digital revolution hasn't changed the book trade — at least 40% of all book sales are now online.
Eaglehawk Press Opens for Business
With two excellent books pubished on aspects of 19th Century Victorian history, Eaglehawk Press are off to a flying start. Their recently created website is very accessible and hopefully will feature more well-crafted books as time goes by. Workingtype Design worked with Eaglehawk Press on the cover and text design of both books, and can attest to the attention to detail and effort behind their creation.
Free Scholarly ebooks
From the ever-active folk at Open Culture, a very long list of free ebooks, many of them the greats of world literature and intellectual endeavour. From Wittgenstein to David Foster Wallace — a lifetime's reading awaits...
Herbert Peabody
Bianca Ross' charming Herbert Peabody series (typesetting and layout by WorkingType Design) continues with Herbert Peabody and the Incredible Beehive. Authors would do very well to study Bianca's promotional activities as outlined on her Herbert Peabody-themed Facebook feed. Lots of media activity, plentiful, on-point posts, a feeling of positive, targeted activity. And it helps somewhat that the book itself is excellent with very good quality illustrations. Herbert's official website is worth investigating as well. And buy the book!
An Accident of Birth — Comparing Countries
A quick way of checking one nation's vital signs against another, and what they would mean if you relocated from one to another. The relatively minor differences between the industrialised democracies stand in stark contrast to the massive divide when comparing them to under-developed countries afflicted with corrupt and repressive regimes. Overall, a well-designed website that vividly demonstrates the work to be done in ensuring a better outlook for a large fraction of the Earth's population.
Fonts on Fire — Tinder for Typefaces
With the Ashley Madison hack in the news, comparing a font matching service with a dating service is probably not a great move. Fontflame brings the matching aspect of Tinder to typefaces. At present all of the typefaces matched are from the Google stable. This means they are free for any use, but the overall selection is rather limited. Also, the type sample shown on screen is rather small, making it difficult to make an informed selection. A more full-featured service would be great, with typefaces from large and small foundries and the ability to input one's own text string. That would be very useful for designers looking for inspiration.
Surfing Selfie
Capture a thumbnail sketch of your freewheelin' web-surfing self. Mine was rather email and work-oriented, perhaps yours will tend toward something more idiosyncratic.