From eyecatching minimalism to intricate illustrations to gorgeous typography, every design element ensures that readers will. Cover by peter mendelsund 2014, hardcover for sale. Now i just saw another article on wired, shared by tim ferriss peter is obviously doing the rounds and quite well to promote his new book. Peter mendelsund is best known for his smart, witty, and visually arresting book jackets for martin amis, ben marcus, stieg larsson, tom. Cover powerhouse books, featuring a decade of his book cover designs, and what we see when we read vintage books, a meditation on how we visualize the words of writers. Kidd has designed covers for a smorgasbord of authors, including john updike, haruki murakami, and cormac mccarthy. Peter mendelsund estimates hes designed somewhere between 600 and 1,000 book covers, ranging from crime and punishment to girl with. Sep 02, 2014 awardwinning book cover designer and alfred a. Knopf books, peter mendelsund has designed hundreds of book jackets over the past decade, including his acclaimed cover for the girl with the dragon tattoo. Peter mendelsunds cover a compilation of book covers and jackets that mendelsund 91cc designed over his eleven years so far in the business is a confidentlooking art book, but when the author tells his own story, he sounds surprisingly unsure. Peter mendelsund, book designer, debuts as a writer the new. Mendelsund, who has designed striking covers for departed literary giants like kafka, dostoyevsky, tolstoy and. Book cover design peter mendelsund imogens student blog. Us cover design by peter mendelsund, photograph by nan goldin scribner.
Four designers discuss their work on recent book covers. Among book designers, peter mendelsund is the best reader of all. Apr 08, 2014 peter mendelsund has enjoyed years as a muchsoughtafter book cover designer and art director. Today, some 15 years later, mendelsund s an associate art director at knopf, having designed around 600 covers. Peter mendelsund estimates hes designed somewhere between 600 and 1,000 book covers, ranging from crime and punishment to girl with the dragon tattoo. Apr 24, 2017 the best book covers of 2017 so far showcase stunning creativity. Knopf already has a couple of nonfiction titles to his name what we see when we read and cover, with another, the look of the book, on the way and has now stepped into fiction with same same, a twisting metafictional meditation on. Jul 29, 2014 peter mendelsund often says that dead authors get the best book jackets.
Today, some 15 years later, mendelsunds an associate art director at knopf, having designed around 600 covers. Geoff dyer, author of out of sheer rage, and another great day at sea once in a while im presented with covers that. Knopf books, the art director of pantheon books, art director of vertical press, and a recovering classical. Zachary petit march 21, 2015 get inside the mind of peter mendelsund, the pianist who went from tchaikovsky to tolstoy and became one of the best book cover designers working today, with editor zac petits interview in print s 75th anniversary issue. In recent years, peter mendelsund has been shifting his career from designing books to writing them. Designing a book cover for italo calvino the new yorker. New directions 11 books the press with the second most covers on the list. Peter is obviously doing the rounds and quite well to promote his new book. He is an accomplished designer of book covers at the knopf publishing house.
From eyecatching minimalism to intricate illustrations to gorgeous typography, every design element ensures that. It was at knopf where kidd was instrumental in getting a young peter mendelsund hired as he was just starting out on his design career. See more ideas about book cover design, book design, cover design. A couple weeks ago i saw an article about peter mendelsunds new book on book cover design. The best book covers of 2017 so far showcase stunning creativity. You will have seen mendelsunds work wether youre aware of it or not. Peter mendelsund is best known for his smart, witty, and visually arresting book jackets for martin amis, ben marcus, stieg larsson, tom mccarthy. Peter mendelsund often says that dead authors get the best book jackets. Book overview a colorful and captivating visual exploration of book cover design, with neverbeforeseen sketches, mockups, and case studies, plus insider interviews with novelists and publishing executives that bring to light the inspiration, methods, and creative genius behind the book covers that grace our shelves.
May 02, 20 current fav is david pearsons cover for 1984 by george orwell. Peter mendelsunds brilliant covers for julio cortazar novel see saves related to architecture and graphic. Peter mendelsund is currently one of the bestknown book designers in the industry. I hope to look at numerous graphic designers who have worked with book publishers, and i will start with peter mendelsund. Heres whats wrong with peter mendelsunds book covers. Cover by peter mendelsund meet your next favorite book. Oct 16, 2014 peter mendelsund estimates hes designed somewhere between 600 and 1,000 book covers, ranging from crime and punishment to girl with the dragon tattoo. You always recognize one of his covers when you see it, and its not because he tends toward certain colors or typefacesquite the opposite. One of our favorite book jacket designers, peter mendelsund who is also the associate art director at knopf and the art director proper of pantheon, was recently charged with creating a series. Brilliant book cover designer peter mendelsund offers a look into his process and philosophy, and showcases 14 of his works.
Knopf books, the art director of pantheon books, and a recovering classical pianist. The uk cover makes the book look as though there are makeup tips inside. His designs have been described by the wall street journal as being the most instantly recognizable and iconic book covers in contemporary fiction. Geoff dyer, author of out of sheer rage, and another great day at sea once in a while im presented with covers that cross the barriers of cultural reference and visual language. Before going on to design book covers for publishers such as vintage and knopf, peter mendelsund was largely oblivious to them. Renowned and awardwinning designer of many bestselling books, peter mendelsund has enjoyed years as a muchsoughtafter designer and art director. Though peter mendelsund is a selfdescribed recovering classical pianist, hes better known as the man behind the covers of megabestsellers like emma clines the girls and stieg larsson. If book covers were a call to prayer then lustig was moving away from the clanging of bells to an adhan sung from the top of a minaret. Peter mendelsund, book designer, debuts as a writer the. He lives in manhattan with his wife and two daughters. This cover tells you everything important about orwells book by using the book itself as a devicedavid did the same thing when he designed the cover for walter benjamins the work of art in the age of mechanical reproduction for penguin ideas without telling you anything specific about the books plot.
Peter mendelsund on book cover art, book cover design. Now i just saw another article on wired, shared by tim ferriss. Peter mendelsund is that kind of designer and cover is the story of his love affair with books. Jan 29, 2011 one of our favorite book jacket designers, peter mendelsund who is also the associate art director at knopf and the art director proper of pantheon, was recently charged with creating a series. Aug 05, 2014 peter mendelsund is best known for his smart, witty, and visually arresting book jackets for martin amis, ben marcus, stieg larsson, tom mccarthy, and james gleick, among many others, as well as. The washington post among book designers, peter mendelsund is the best reader of all. Peter mendelsund has enjoyed years as a muchsoughtafter book cover designer. Peter mendelsund has enjoyed years as a muchsoughtafter book cover designer and art director.
You may not know of peter mendelsund by name, but if you are a book lover, you have seen his work. The many styles of peter mendelsund on one level, dust jackets are billboards. His designs are so soughtafter that a number of authors stipulate in their contract that he. Though peter mendelsund is a selfdescribed recovering classical pianist, hes better known as the man behind the covers of megabestsellers like. Thats kind of an anomalous one in that there were so many other people involved in the approval process. Peter mendelsund is the associate art director of alfred a. Rather, its something about the way the cover illuminates the text. Peter mendelsund is to the art of book design what walter murch is to the art of filmediting. What we see when we read is an expansion of an essay mendelsund originally wrote for his blog, on.
Tragically, lustigs life was curt short by illness, and he went blind in his final years before dying at the age of 40. Jul 30, 20 four designers discuss their work on recent book covers. Peter mendelsund on reading, cover design and his own. Mendelsund, who has designed striking covers for departed.
What we see when we read by peter mendelsund books on. A couple weeks ago i saw an article about peter mendelsund s new book on book cover design. See more ideas about book cover design, book design and cover design. We spend a lot of time looking at book covers here and fancy ourselves connoisseurs. Among the many recognizable jackets he has created are those for the girl with the dragon tattoo. Peter mendelsund has designed hundreds of striking book covers, but his imagination seized up when it came time to design one for his own.
Nonfiction covers are supposed to give a solid sense of the topic of the book, without giving away the whole story. Fsg 10 books the designer with the most covers on the list. David sedaris, calypso, design by peter mendelsund lucia berlin, evening in paradise, design by na kim. Spinea conversation with peter mendelsund on writing. Mendelsund, one of the truly great bookcover designers, explores what we see when we read, in a. Knopf books, the art director of pantheon books, art director of vertical press, and a recovering classical pianist. Peter mendelsund on book cover art, book cover design, book. Aug 05, 2014 peter mendelsund is currently one of the bestknown book designers in the industry. Design was mendelsunds secondchoice profession, a stopgap while he reevaluated his career as a concert pianist. The beautifully designed volume is nicely paced with a mix of testimonials from authors whose book covers mendelsund has designed, along with his own comments on various aspects of the design process.
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