Covering Photography: Book Cover and Photos

Covering Photography is a web-based archive by Karl Baden of Boston College and is a resource for the study of the relationship between the history of photography and book cover design, searchable by photographer, author, publisher, publication date and designer. Read more about the project.

Tobias: Mendelsund design:related Interview

Blogger and book designer Chris at Outerwearforbooks and Tobias Design has interviewed Knopf's book designer Peter Mendelsund once before, but this time he digs a bit further into this massive talent in an interview exclusively for design:related. It appears Chris will be contributing more like this in the future.

I personally appreciate Chris managing to get this interview. It's one thing to look at someone's work, as much can be learned by studying the work itself. And for people like me who have never worked at a big name company or worked with quote "famous" designers, learning by what I see in other's work has always been insightful. But hearing from them is way different, and as you'll see from Chris's line of questioning, he is uniquely qualified to ask questions in this fashion.

A great interview of a great designer by a great designer.

( via outerwearforbooks )

Book Designer Extraordinaire: Brian Moore

Brian T. Moore is a serious talent. His book design is second to none, and his print work is also impressive. He is a high level design thinker. I'm blown away by the breadth of his talent. He's currently a designer at Houghton Mifflin, and they're fortunate to have him aboard. I highly recommend checking our Brian's work. He can also be found via his design:related profile.

( via design:related )

brandnavigation: Transcending Ordinary

brandnavigation is on the short list of companies that caught my attention after moving from Michigan to Illinois to begin serving in the role of art director for a christian publisher. At the time, the company was called The Design Office of Bill Chiaravalle. A name I was glad to see changed.

As a new believer, and as an art director for a publisher for the first time in 14 years, Chiaravalle's work kept capturing my attention, one book at at time. Well it's been about 6 years and I just re-visitied the brandnavigation site, and it reminded me what I found so compelling. At the end of the day, good work is good work. But superior work stands out. Chiaravalle's crew transcends the ordinary and strikes a chord. Attention to detail at their fabric and remarkable design thinking from front to end are only part of the intrigue. A balance of boldness with finesse, and a focus on effective communication is what I've found so compelling.

Another impressive thing about brandnavigation is the breadth of work. Simply put, they've been at it for a long time. Like myself, 20+ years in the trenches. Some weeding of the portfolio might benefit the company as a whole, but admittedly it all stands up well in the test of time for sure. Hats off to brandnavigation. They've somehow managed to grow and maintain at a high level in a business that's all about being relevant.

I suspect you might also enjoy their portfolio, and if you're particularly interested in identity, as am I, check out their case study section. You'll have to discover these directly on the site, because unfortunately I cannot provide you a link to their portfolio or case studies because they've built their entire site in flash.

Studio Gearbox: Always on Their Game?!

Complete props to the boys in Sisters – Studio Gearbox. Book Design. Identities. Primo work. I'm taking a wild guess, but I'm thinking these gents may be Uttley Grads, as their work is most certainly up to snuff with their fellow Sisters (Oregon, that is). All told this firm is a big talent, and though you don't need me to tell you this (because they've already said it themselves on their bios), they are always on their game. Their superior thinking and design execution well eclipses the junior copywriting on their site. In my unsolicited opinion, and since this is called BarryBlog, words like "zing" and "with it" just don't communicate with the same freshness and relevancy that their work does. Regardless of my thoughts on this, hats off Studio Gearbox.

( via book art director Beth Sparkman )

Tobias! Outerwear for Books.

A book designer with a nice blog and real healthy client list.

Baker Publishing Group * BookPros * Broadman & Holman * Dana Press * Guideposts Books * Hachette Book Group * Harlequin * Hartmann * Integrity Publishers * P & R Publishing * Reader's Digest * Regnery Publishing * Shepherd Press * Thomas Nelson, Inc. * Upper Room Books * Waterbrook Press * Zondervan

Way Better than "OKAY"

Many of you have seen or heard of Dave Werner. If you haven't, you're in for a treat.