Tuesday, December 12, 2006

Brookland


by Emily Barton // Picador

Cover photograph by Gayle Harper
Cover illustration by Steven Noble

Alternate:


I love the much larger original hand colored and tinted lithograph from 1858. It's such an unusual bird's eye view that simulates a wide angle lens of Brooklyn / City of New York / Williamsburg. Before any bridges spanned the East River.

Bird's eye view of the city of New York, Brooklyn, and Williamsburg. 1858. Hand colored and tinted lithograph, 59.6 x 90.1 cm. I.N. Phelps Stokes Collection, Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs. © The New York Public Library / Art Resource


New-York and environs, from Williamsburgh, 1848. Tinted lithograph with hand coloring ; 51.6 x 82.4 cm. Printer: Sarony & Major. Publisher: Williams & Stevens. © The New York Public Library / Art Resource


New York, from Brooklyn Heights. 1837. Aquatints--Hand-colored. 49.7 x 80.7 cm. © The New York Public Library / Art Resource

Monday, December 11, 2006

Dishonest Dollars


by Terry L. Leap

Art director: Scott Levine // Cornell University Press

Tuesday, December 05, 2006

Funny Accent


by Barbara Shulgasser-Parker // Picador

Jacket photograph "Intellectual Couple" 1962 by Inge Morath/Magnum // Mask Drawings by Saul Steinberg

Sunday, December 03, 2006

Saturday, December 02, 2006

Friday, December 01, 2006

Empire Rising


by Thomas Kelly // Picador

• The New York Book Show 1st Place Award winner

Cover photograph by Lewis B. Hine //
The New York Public Library Picture Collection


Back cover design by Rob Grom

Area Code 212: New York Days, New York Nights


by Tama Janowitz // St. Martin's Press

Jacket photograph by Joshua Sheldon.
Starring Sarah K. Delson



We did the photoshoot on Bleecker Street in Greenwich Village. As we were snapping away, a kid stopped in front of Josh, and told him, "You want to shoot something? Shoot this." He then turned around, pulled down his pants and mooned us. Salutations.

Thursday, November 30, 2006

The Jasmine Trade


by Denise Hamilton

Art Director: John Fulbrook III // Scribner Books // Simon & Schuster

Monday, November 13, 2006

Falling Boy


by Alison McGhee // Picador

Cover illustration by Philip Earl Pascuzzo
Cover design by Philip Earl Pascuzzo + Henry Sene Yee

These were the sketches leading up to the final design:

Friday, November 03, 2006

Are We Rome?


by Cullen Murphy

Art Director: Michaela Sullivan // Houghton Mifflin Company


George Washington, marble sculpture, c. 1840 by Horatio Greenough (1805-1852); in the National Museum of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. / Art Resource, NY

Thursday, November 02, 2006

John O'Hara's Hollywood(s)

by John O'Hara

Approved, then killed by the author.


Old comp resurrected and published.

Art Director: Jonathan Sainsbury // Avalon Publishers

Tuesday, October 10, 2006

Friday, September 29, 2006

Mason's Retreat: comps




by Christopher Tilghman

Art Director: Robbin Schiff // Random House

Tuesday, August 01, 2006

Physical


by James McManus // Picador

• A PRINT's Regional Design Annual Selection

Illustration by Christoph Niemann

Alternate Christoph Sketches:

Spying on the Bomb


by Jeffrey T. Richelson

Art Director: Ingsu Liu // W. W. Norton & Co.

Alternate comp:

Wednesday, July 26, 2006

Out of Egypt


by André Aciman // Picador
This richly colored memoir chronicles the exploits of a flamboyant Jewish family, from its bold arrival in cosmopolitan Alexandria to its defeated exodus three generations later. In elegant and witty prose, André Aciman introduces us to the marvelous eccentrics who shaped his life--Uncle Vili, the strutting daredevil, soldier, salesman, and spy; the two grandmothers, the Princess and the Saint, who gossip in six languages; Aunt Flora, the German refugee who warns that Jews lose everything "at least twice in their lives." And through it all, we come to know a boy who, even as he longs for a wider world, does not want to be led, forever, out of Egypt.

This palm tree kinda looked like a feather duster to me.

Alternate:

Tuesday, July 25, 2006

Jar City


by Arnaldur Indridason // Picador

Cover photograph by Michael Trevillion.
Based on original image Art Directed by David Baldeosingh Rotstein


Design was scrapped because this stock image was already used on another book.

Tuesday, July 18, 2006

The Devil's Horn


by Michael Segell // Picador

Illustration by Adam Auerbach
This preview looks horrible. Click on the image for a better representation.

Tuesday, June 13, 2006

Show World


by Wilton Barnhardt // St. Martin's Press

Elton John


by Philip Norman

Art Director: John Fontana // Harmony Books // Crown Publishers

The Hiawatha


by David Treuer // Picador

• An AIGA's 50 Books // 50 Covers Best Cover Selection

Gone to New York


by Ian Frazier // Picador

Cover photograph by Laura Hanifin

Ian Frazier's Gone to New York is a collection of humorous essays about the wonders of living in the city of New York.
The cover takes its reference from the story "Bags in Trees." About a man who looks up and begins to notice that the trees are littered with snagged milky-white plastic bags, most which are slowly fading into gray shredded Spanish moss. Annoyed at the chaos, he vows to clean up the mess. Snagging one plastic bag at a time.


On the opposite end, I found a blog, Bags in Trees, that surprise, is dedicated to appreciating the beauty of snagged bags in trees. This love of natural found art reminded me of the scene in American Beauty, “The most beautiful thing I ever filmed.” It’s a fun blog. But to be expected, this website is not a huge fan of this book. As evidenced by this blog entry.


Most stores in NYC use these bags as an opportunity to advertise themselves. But some have the simply iconic I "HEART" NY logo that was designed by Milton Glaser. It was a no-brainer to reference the logo with my title treatment. Here's an interview that Milton gave to Chip Kidd that appeared in The Believer.

Friday, May 19, 2006

The Ice Man


by Philip Carlo // St. Martin's Press

I was startled to learn that I grew up only three blocks away from this sadistic, evil killer who had a role in the mob killing of Gambino crime boss Paul Castellano. That's one house I'm glad I didn't go trick or treating at.

Wednesday, May 10, 2006

Gridlock


by Matt Gaffney

Art Director: Jonathan Sainsbury // Thunder's Mouth Press // Avalon Publishers

Alternate: