2015 | 50 Covers Selections

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AIGA Archives
A Manual for Cleaning Women
A Manual for Cleaning Women
AUTHOR: Lucia Berlin
PUBLISHER: Picador - Pan Macmillan
ART DIRECTOR: James Annal
DESIGNER: Justine Anweiler
DESIGN FIRM: Picador Art Department


A nakonec Vánoce
A nakonec Vánoce
AUTHOR: Petr Šabach
PUBLISHER: Paseka
ART DIRECTOR: Jan Šabach
DESIGNER: Jan Šabach
DESIGN FIRM: Code Switch


Act of God
Act of God
AUTHOR: Jill Ciment
PUBLISHER: Pantheon Books
ART DIRECTOR: Kelly Blair
DESIGNER: Janet Hansen


All the Bright Places
All the Bright Places
AUTHOR: Jennifer Niven
PUBLISHER: Random House Children's Books | Knopf
DESIGNER: Alison Impey and Lucy Kim


Anthropology's Politics
Anthropology's Politics
AUTHOR: Lara Deeb and Jessica Winegar
PUBLISHER: Stanford University Press
ART DIRECTOR: Rob Ehle
DESIGNER: Anne Jordan and Mitch Goldstein
DESIGN FIRM: Anne Jordan and Mitch Goldstein


Ball
Ball
AUTHOR: Tara Ison
PUBLISHER: Soft Skull Press
ART DIRECTOR: Kelly Winton
DESIGNER: Kelly Winton


Barbara the Slut and Other People
Barbara the Slut and Other People
AUTHOR: Lauren Holmes
PUBLISHER: Riverhead | Penguin Random House
ART DIRECTOR: Helen Yentus
DESIGNER: Rachel Willey


Beauty—Cooper Hewitt Design Triennial
Beauty—Cooper Hewitt Design Triennial
AUTHOR: Ellen Lupton and Andrea Lipps
PUBLISHER: Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
ART DIRECTOR: Kimberly Varella and Pamela Horn
DESIGNER: Kimberly Varella
DESIGN FIRM: Content Object Design Studio


Becoming a Marihuana User
Becoming a Marihuana User
AUTHOR: Howard S. Becker
PUBLISHER: The University of Chicago Press
ART DIRECTOR: Jill Shimabukuro
DESIGNER: Jill Shimabukuro
DESIGN FIRM: The University of Chicago Press


Beneath the Surface of White Supremacy
Beneath the Surface of White Supremacy
AUTHOR: Moon-Kie Jung
PUBLISHER: Stanford University Press
ART DIRECTOR: Rob Ehle
DESIGNER: Anne Jordan and Mitch Goldstein
DESIGN FIRM: Anne Jordan and Mitch Goldstein


Between You & Me
Between You & Me
AUTHOR: Mary Norris
PUBLISHER: W. W. Norton and Company
ART DIRECTOR: Ingsu Liu
DESIGNER: Darren Haggar
DESIGN FIRM: Darren Haggar Design


Cassandre. Specimens.
Cassandre. Specimens.
AUTHOR: Pascal Béjean
PUBLISHER: Art Book Magazine Éditions
ART DIRECTOR: Pascal Béjean
DESIGNER: Pascal Béjean
DESIGN FIRM: ABM Studio


Composite Landscapes: Photomontage and Landscape Architecture
Composite Landscapes: Photomontage and Landscape Architecture
AUTHOR: Charles Waldheim, and Andrea Hansen, editors
PUBLISHER: Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and Hatje Cantz
DESIGNER: Siena Scarff, Cover
DESIGN FIRM: Siena Scarff Design


Conviction
Conviction
AUTHOR: Kelly Loy Gilbert
PUBLISHER: Disney Hyperion
ART DIRECTOR: Maria Elias
DESIGNER: Maria Elias


Debate
Debate
AUTHOR: MAS Context
PUBLISHER: MAS Context
ART DIRECTOR: Alisa Wolfson
DESIGNER: Peter Ty, Eavan Wallner, and Alisa Wolfson.
DESIGN FIRM: Leo Burnett Department of Design


Drinking In America
Drinking In America
AUTHOR: Susan Cheever
PUBLISHER: Grand Central Publishing
ART DIRECTOR: Catherine Casalino
DESIGNER: Rex Bonomelli


F*ck Feelings
F*ck Feelings
AUTHOR: Michael I. Bennett & Sarah Bennett
PUBLISHER: Simon & Schuster
ART DIRECTOR: Jackie Seow
DESIGNER: Jason Heuer
DESIGN FIRM: Jason Heuer Design


Flaubert Postsecular
Flaubert Postsecular
AUTHOR: Barbara Vinken
PUBLISHER: Stanford University Press
ART DIRECTOR: Rob Ehle
DESIGNER: Anne Jordan and Mitch Goldstein
DESIGN FIRM: Anne Jordan and Mitch Goldstein


Gorse No. 3 & Gorse No. 4
Gorse No. 3 & Gorse No. 4
AUTHOR: Susan Tomaselli (ed)
PUBLISHER: Gorse
ART DIRECTOR: Niall McCormack
DESIGNER: Niall McCormack
DESIGN FIRM: Hi Tone Design


Graphic Designers Surveyed
Graphic Designers Surveyed
AUTHOR: Editors: Lucienne Roberts, Rebecca Wright, Jessie Price
PUBLISHER: GraphicDesign&
ART DIRECTOR: Lucienne Roberts
DESIGNER: Lucienne Roberts, John McGill, Sarah Schrauwen
DESIGN FIRM: LucienneRoberts+


Green: A Field Guide to Marijuana
Green: A Field Guide to Marijuana
AUTHOR: Dan Michaels
PUBLISHER: Chronicle Books
ART DIRECTOR: Eddie Opara and Neil Egan
DESIGNER: Eddie Opara, Brankica Harvey, and Yo-E Ryou
DESIGN FIRM: Pentagram


LEAP Dialogues: Career Pathways in Design for Social Innovation
LEAP Dialogues: Career Pathways in Design for Social Innovation
AUTHOR: Edited by Mariana Amatullo with Bryan Boyer, Liz Danzico and Andrew Shea
PUBLISHER: Designmatters at ArtCenter College of Design
ART DIRECTOR: Lupi Asensio & Martin Lorenz
DESIGNER: Lupi Asensio & Martin Lorenz
DESIGN FIRM: TwoPoints.Net — Hamburg, Berlin, Barcelona


Making Marie Curie
Making Marie Curie
AUTHOR: Eva Hemmungs Wirtén
PUBLISHER: The University of Chicago Press
ART DIRECTOR: Jill Shimabukuro
DESIGNER: Lauren Michelle Smith
DESIGN FIRM: The University of Chicago Press


Mário Pedrosa
Mário Pedrosa
AUTHOR: Mário Pedrosa
PUBLISHER: Cosac Naify
ART DIRECTOR: Elaine Ramos
DESIGNER: Paulo André Chagas
DESIGN FIRM: Cosac Naify


Off the Radar
Off the Radar
AUTHOR: Cyrus Copeland
PUBLISHER: Blue Rider Press | Penguin Random House
ART DIRECTOR: Jason Booher
DESIGNER: AJ Dimarucot


Once in a House on Fire
Once in a House on Fire
AUTHOR: Andrea Ashworth
PUBLISHER: Picador - Pan Macmillan
ART DIRECTOR: James Annal
DESIGNER: Justine Anweiler
DESIGN FIRM: Picador Art Department


One Day in the Life of the English Language: A Microcosmic Usage Handbook
One Day in the Life of the English Language: A Microcosmic Usage Handbook
AUTHOR: Frank L. Cioffi
PUBLISHER: Princeton University Press
DESIGNER: Chris Ferrante


Only What's Necessary: Charles M. Schulz and the Art of Peanuts
Only What's Necessary: Charles M. Schulz and the Art of Peanuts
AUTHOR: Chip Kidd
PUBLISHER: Abrams
ART DIRECTOR: Chip Kidd
DESIGNER: Chip Kidd
DESIGN FIRM: Chip Kidddesign


Oreo
Oreo
AUTHOR: Fran Ross
PUBLISHER: New Directions
ART DIRECTOR: Erik Rieselbach
DESIGNER: Erik Carter
DESIGN FIRM: Erik Carter


Patternalia
Patternalia
AUTHOR: Jude Stewart
PUBLISHER: Bloomsbury USA
ART DIRECTOR: Patti Ratchford
DESIGNER: Oliver Munday
DESIGN FIRM: Bloomsbury


Plays by Albert Camus Series
Plays by Albert Camus Series
AUTHOR: Albert Camus
PUBLISHER: Can
DESIGNER: Utku Lomlu
DESIGN FIRM: LOM Creative


Posters for Peace: Visual Rhetoric & Civic Action
Posters for Peace: Visual Rhetoric & Civic Action
AUTHOR: Thomas W. Benson
PUBLISHER: Penn State University Press
ART DIRECTOR: Jennifer Norton, Brad D. Norr
DESIGNER: Brad D. Norr
DESIGN FIRM: Brad Norr Design


Puddn'head Wilson | The Prince and the Pauper
Puddn'head Wilson | The Prince and the Pauper
AUTHOR: Mark Twain
PUBLISHER: Vintage
ART DIRECTOR: Megan Wilson
DESIGNER: Isabel Urbina Peña


Seline Baumgartner
Seline Baumgartner
AUTHOR: Claudia La Rocco
PUBLISHER: Edizioni Periferia
ART DIRECTOR: Philipp Hubert, Sebastian Fischer
DESIGNER: Philipp Hubert, Sebastian Fischer
DESIGN FIRM: Hubert & Fischer


Shinkichi Tajiri Universal Paradoxes
Shinkichi Tajiri Universal Paradoxes
AUTHOR: Helen Westgeest, Giotta and Ryu Tajiri
PUBLISHER: Leiden University press
ART DIRECTOR: Willem Henri Lucas
DESIGNER: Willem henri Lucas


Spring Chicken
Spring Chicken
AUTHOR: Bill Gifford
PUBLISHER: Grand Central Publishing
ART DIRECTOR: Elizabeth Connor
DESIGNER: Oliver Munday


Ten Children Ms. Ming Never Had (Bayan Ming'in Hiç Olmayan 10 Çocuğu
Ten Children Ms. Ming Never Had (Bayan Ming'in Hiç Olmayan 10 Çocuğu
AUTHOR: Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt
PUBLISHER: Doğan Egmont Publishing
DESIGNER: Geray Gencer
DESIGN FIRM: Studio Geray Gencer


The Asylum
The Asylum
AUTHOR: Simon Doonan
PUBLISHER: Blue Rider Press | Penguin Random House
ART DIRECTOR: Jason Booher
DESIGNER: Spencer Kimble


The Last Word
The Last Word
AUTHOR: Hanif Kureishi
PUBLISHER: Scribner
ART DIRECTOR: Jaya Miceli
DESIGNER: Jaya Miceli


The Life and Death of Sophie Stark
The Life and Death of Sophie Stark
AUTHOR: Anna North
PUBLISHER: Blue Rider Press | Penguin Random House
ART DIRECTOR: Jason Booher
DESIGNER: Spencer Kimble


The Race for Paris
The Race for Paris
AUTHOR: Meg Waite Clayton
PUBLISHER: HarperCollins
ART DIRECTOR: Gregg Kulick
DESIGNER: Alison Forner
DESIGN FIRM: HarperCollins


The Reader / Momentum 8 Tunnel Vision / Nordic Biennial for Contemporary Art
The Reader / Momentum 8 Tunnel Vision / Nordic Biennial for Contemporary Art
AUTHOR: Jonatan Habib Engquist, Birta Gudjonsdottir, Stefanie Hessler, Toke Lykkeberg
PUBLISHER: Mousse Publishing
ART DIRECTOR: Ariane Spanier
DESIGNER: Ariane Spanier
DESIGN FIRM: Ariane Spanier Design


The Sage of Waterloo
The Sage of Waterloo
AUTHOR: Leona Francombe
PUBLISHER: W. W. Norton and Company
ART DIRECTOR: Ingsu Liu
DESIGNER: Charlotte Strick
DESIGN FIRM: Strick & Williams


The Typewriter: a Graphic History of the Beloved Machine
The Typewriter: a Graphic History of the Beloved Machine
AUTHOR: Janine Vangool
PUBLISHER: UPPERCASE publishing inc
ART DIRECTOR: Janine Vangool
DESIGNER: Janine Vangool


The Woman Who Read Too Much
The Woman Who Read Too Much
AUTHOR: Bahiyyih Nakhjavani
PUBLISHER: Stanford University Press
ART DIRECTOR: Rob Ehle
DESIGNER: Anne Jordan and Mitch Goldstein
DESIGN FIRM: Anne Jordan and Mitch Goldstein


Uma História do Mundo (A History of the World)
Uma História do Mundo (A History of the World)
AUTHOR: Andrew Marr
PUBLISHER: Intrínseca
DESIGNER: Angelo Allevato Bottino


Unbecoming
Unbecoming
AUTHOR: Rebecca Scherm
PUBLISHER: Viking | Penguin Random House
DESIGNER: Paul Buckley


Voices in the Night
Voices in the Night
AUTHOR: Steven Millhauser
PUBLISHER: Alfred A. Knopf
ART DIRECTOR: Carol Carson
DESIGNER: Janet Hansen


What is This
What is This
AUTHOR: Tamara Shopsin
PUBLISHER: The Ice Plant
ART DIRECTOR: Tamara Shopsin
DESIGNER: Tamara Shopsin
DESIGN FIRM: Tamara Shopsin


X
X
AUTHOR: Ilyasah Shabazz and Kekla Magoon
PUBLISHER: Candlewick Press
ART DIRECTOR: Chris Paul
DESIGNER: Matt Roeser





Observed


“This is her fifth long-form visual project,”writes Wesley Morris in his review of Renaissance, Beyoncé’s newest movie, out now in theatres. “We’re now talking about an auteur.” Morris doesn’t stop there. “Simply at the presentation level, coherence and visual imagination are in the house.”

Did you know that the Institute for Scrap Recycling sponsors a design award? And that it has done so for more than three decades? Friends, you have until February 12 to submit your game-changing ideas. Get cracking.

Legendary architect William McDonough—who was one of the first proponents of “circular” design—thinks we’re talking about the issue all wrong. And on that same topic, this year's Business of Design summit brings together policymakers, business executives, and creative leaders to identify critical challenges, innovative ideas, and smart design processes driving circular design. (More here.)

Thanks to a number of new collective projects in Paris, Ukrainian design is becoming a fully-fledged part of the global creative industry.

This just in from the Department of Dystopian Prognostications! A new AI tool— called COLE, named in honor of Henry Cole (the creator of the first graphical Christmas card in 1843) lets you type in a graphic design project idea and have an AI generate not only the image, but the text to support it baked in. 

The Female Design Council names a new director: Angharad Coates previously served as director of communications at the New York Academy of Art and was most recently a managing partner at Camron, a design-focused public relations agency.

Designing better (and more inclusive) (and more innovative) meetings.

"It’s interesting, highly random, and even has the excitement of gambling and card drawing." A designer uses MidJourney to explore new dimensions in typography. 

As the talent pool for luxury artisans in Europe dwindles, fashion brand LVMH has created a unique apprenticeship program in the US in partnership with Tiffany & Co., the  Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City, the trade school Studio Jewelers, and RISD. “We are teaching the next generation of craftspeople how important the details are,” says Dana Naberezny, chief innovation officer of jewelry at Tiffany and head of its workshop in Manhattan.

Loon-loving Minnesotans, this is your last chance.

Hundreds of documents related to chattel slavery — including wills that bequeathed enslaved people to relatives —have been discovered among probate records in Fulton County, Ga. "We were able to uncover some interesting stories about slave owners," says Chief Probate Judge Kenya Johnson. "A story that I hadn’t heard before: Slave owners paid for their slaves to go back to Africa."

Due to climate change, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has been forced to update its "plant hardiness zone map," an essential tool for gardeners (and anyone wondering why native plants are dying.)

Russia’s Supreme Court has banned "the international LGBT public movement," calling it an extremist organization.

There’s another Mona Lisa. Or is there?

Michael Latt, a film marketing consultant who had become a beacon for social justice, was murdered by an intruder in his Los Angeles home. Latt, 33, was the founder and CEO of Lead With Love, a social impact marketing agency that deftly married activism and art. His collaborators included directors Ryan Coogler, Ava DuVernay, and Barry Jenkins.

Save the date: Riyadh, the capital city of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, has been selected to host the 2030 World Expo, according to the Bureau International des Expositions.  "Expo 2030 Riyadh, The Era of Change: Together for a Foresighted Tomorrow,” will run between October 2030 and March 2031.

Acclaimed American photographer Larry Fink, the self-described “Marxist from Long Island,” has died at 82. His black-and-white photographs ranged from portraits of working-class people to the entertainment elite. “He was a dear friend and a free spirit,” said his longtime gallerist, Robert Mann.

Uh, what’s wrong with networking? The COP28 president-designate Sultan Al Jaber is facing accusations that his team has been using this year’s climate convening as an opportunity to make fossil fuel deals for the UAE’s state-owned oil and gas company, allegations he vehemently denies.

New data from McKinsey & Co. show companies are no longer promoting Black professionals into leadership jobs at the rate they were two years ago. And that’s a problem. “If you were borderline committed, you’ve just kind of exhaled and retreated,” said Michael C. Bush, CEO of Great Place to Work, a research and consulting firm.

It may surprise you to learn that £88 billion of UK pension savers' money is invested in fossil fuels. Still unconvinced? Climate deniers, meet Oblivia Coalmine

A Japanese economist, Tatsuyoshi Saijo is at the forefront of the Future Design movement, which aims to figure out how to get the world to care more about future generations. He is one of the fifty individuals shortlisted on Vox's Future Perfect list—identifying the  thinkers, activists, and scholars working on solutions to today’s (and tomorrow’s) biggest problems.

We are all redesigners, now—or at least we're all becoming engaged design critics. In the US, Kansas citizens reject their state's proposed new license plate design (claiming, among other things, that it looks too much like New York's plate) while in the UK, residents of Gloucester dispute the design of a Covid memorial. 

Every front page in the New York Times—since 1852.

Design thinking has missed the mark, says Anne-Laure Fayard and Sarah Fathallah in this must-read piece in the Stanford Social Review. “We reject design thinking as a singular tool kit prescribed to solve social problems,” in part because, it has failed to do so. “Instead, we call for a critical stance on design, where critical means both discerning and important.”

The United States, Britain and more than a dozen other countries on Sunday unveiled what a senior U.S. official described as the first detailed international agreement on how to keep artificial intelligence safe from rogue actors, pushing for companies to create AI systems that are "secure by design." .

Dasha Tsapenko is one of a growing number of designers growing clothing from mycellium. (More here.) 

A brief respite of eye candy: this exquisite scrapbook—with typography made from matchboxes, dating from 1875—will bring you a rare moment of analogue joy. (Thanks to Debbie Millman for sharing it!)

Design Observer's approach to paying it forward includes supporting big dreams for those who deserve to see those dreams become a reality. (Spoiler alert: you won't find any “top fifty gifts for creatives” lists here this, or any holiday season.) Instead, we'll be sharing ideas over the next few weeks for ways that you can help someone else. Start here.

South African designer Thebe Magugu incorporates vintage (family) photos into a new line of clothing. (Read more about the Heirloom Shirt Project here.)

Remembering George Tscherny, the graphic design powerhouse whose work defined a post-war golden age of corporate growth, innovation, and consumerism.



Jobs | December 03