The Design Observer Twenty





2017 | 50 Covers Selections

2011-2017 Winners
2017 Books
2017 Covers
2016 Books
2016 Covers
2015 Books
2015 Covers
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2013 Books
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2012 Books
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2011 Covers

AIGA Archives
4321
4321
AUTHOR: Paul Auster
PUBLISHER: Can Publishing
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Utku Lomlu
ART DIRECTOR: Utku Lomlu
JACKET DESIGNER: Utku Lomlu
DESIGN FIRM: Lom Creative


A Collection of Sentences
A Collection of Sentences
AUTHOR: Yuji Guo
PUBLISHER: Xinxing Publisher
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Jessie Ning
DESIGN FIRM: Gild.Studio
OTHER CREDITS: Illustrator: Dabin Choi


A Girl is a Half-formed Thing
A Girl is a Half-formed Thing
AUTHOR: Eimear McBride
PUBLISHER: Can Publishing
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Utku Lomlu
ART DIRECTOR: Utku Lomlu
JACKET DESIGNER: Utku Lomlu
DESIGN FIRM: Lom Creative


Ad Usum To Be Used
Ad Usum To Be Used
AUTHOR: Pedro Reyes/José Luis Falconi
PUBLISHER: Harvard University Press
JACKET DESIGNER: Blair Richardson
DESIGN FIRM: MiniSuper Studio
OTHER CREDITS: Editorial Coordinator: Andrea Leal Montemayor; Translations: Lisa Crossman, Lacey Pipkin, Joaquin Torres; Copy Editors: Lisa Crossman, Amanda Gokee, Cydney Gottlieb, Andreal Leal Montemayor, Lacey Pipkin, Madelyn Stroik, Bronté Velez


After the Mass-Age
After the Mass-Age
AUTHOR: Chris Riley
PUBLISHER: An^log
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Fredrik Averin
ART DIRECTOR: Fredrik Averin
JACKET DESIGNER: Fredrik Averin
DESIGN FIRM: Fredrik Averin
OTHER CREDITS: Illustrator: Fredrik AverinChris Riley, Author


Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
AUTHOR: Lewis Carroll
PUBLISHER: DERT
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Marcos Chavez
DESIGN FIRM: TODA
OTHER CREDITS: Illustrator: Lise Bye Kjeldsen


All The Dirty Parts
All The Dirty Parts
AUTHOR: Daniel Handler
PUBLISHER: Bloomsbury USA
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Patti Ratchford
ART DIRECTOR: Patti Ratchford
JACKET DESIGNER: Daniel Handler and Rodrigo Corral
DESIGN FIRM: Bloomsbury


Anne Imhof: Faust
Anne Imhof: Faust
AUTHOR: Anne Imhof/Susanne Pfeffer, German Pavilion at La Biennale di Venezia
PUBLISHER: Koenig Books
DESIGN FIRM: Zak Group
OTHER CREDITS: Photographer: Nadine Fraczkowski


Anni Albers: Notebook 1970–1980
Anni Albers: Notebook 1970–1980
AUTHOR: Brenda Danilowitz
PUBLISHER: David Zwirner Books
JACKET DESIGNER: Sarah Schrauwen


Being Elvis
Being Elvis
AUTHOR: Ray Connolly
PUBLISHER: Liveright
ART DIRECTOR: Steve Attardo
JACKET DESIGNER: Steve Attardo
DESIGN FIRM: W.W. Norton


Blitzed
Blitzed
AUTHOR: Norman Ohler
PUBLISHER: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
ART DIRECTOR: Michaela Sullivan
JACKET DESIGNER: Albert Tang


Boundless
Boundless
AUTHOR: Jillian Tamaki
PUBLISHER: Drawn & Quarterly
JACKET DESIGNER: Jillian Tamaki


Brae
Brae
AUTHOR: Dan Hunter
PUBLISHER: Phaidon Press
DESIGN FIRM: Hubert & Fischer
OTHER CREDITS: Photographer: Colin Page; Commissioning Editor: Ellie Smith / Project Editor: Eve O'Sullivan


Brian Eno Light Music
Brian Eno Light Music
AUTHOR: Brian Eno
PUBLISHER: Paul stolper Gallery
ART DIRECTOR: Ryuhei Nakadai
JACKET DESIGNER: Ryuhei Nakadai
DESIGN FIRM: Anyhow Ltd
OTHER CREDITS: Photographer: Masami Naruo


Can Graphic Design Save Your Life?
Can Graphic Design Save Your Life?
AUTHOR: Sarah Schrauwen, Lucienne Roberts, Rebecca Wright
PUBLISHER: GraphicDesign&
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Lucienne Roberts
JACKET DESIGNER: Lucienne Roberts, Sarah Schrauwen
DESIGN FIRM: LucienneRoberts+


Chronicle Books: The First 50 Years
Chronicle Books: The First 50 Years
AUTHOR: Chronicle Books
PUBLISHER: Chronicle Books
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Michael Carabetta
ART DIRECTOR: Pamela Geismar
JACKET DESIGNER: Pamela Geismar with the In-House Design Dept at Chronicle Books
DESIGN FIRM: Domino Design
OTHER CREDITS: Photographers: Michael Carabetta and Irene Kim; Beth Weber, editor; Julianne Balmain, writer; Sara Schneider, additional art direction; Sarah Malarkey, editorial direction


Clarice,
Clarice,
AUTHOR: Benjamin Moser
PUBLISHER: Companhia das Letras
DESIGN FIRM: Máquina Estúdio


Cranbrook Academy of Art 2017
Cranbrook Academy of Art 2017
AUTHOR: Julie Fracker and Judy Dyki
PUBLISHER: Cranbrook Academy of Art
JACKET DESIGNER: Christian Perez-Morin


De best verzorgde boeken / The best Dutch book designs 2016
De best verzorgde boeken / The best Dutch book designs 2016
AUTHOR: Carolien Glazenburg (report of the judges), Vincent Bijlo (column), Marjo Janssen (text of the designers)
PUBLISHER: Stichting De Best Verzorgde Boeken
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Haico Beukers and Marga Scholma
ART DIRECTOR: Haico Beukers and Marga Scholma
JACKET DESIGNER: Haico Beukers and Marga Scholma
DESIGN FIRM: Beukers Scholma
OTHER CREDITS: Photographer: Beukers Scholma; technical data: De Monsterkamer (Esther Krop and Maud van Rossum)


Degas, Renoir e o relógio de Orfeu (The orpheus clock: The search for my family's art treasures stolen by the nazis)
Degas, Renoir e o relógio de Orfeu (The orpheus clock: The search for my family's art treasures stolen by the nazis)
AUTHOR: Simon Goodman
PUBLISHER: José Olympio
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Leonardo Iaccarino
ART DIRECTOR: Leonardo Iaccarino
JACKET DESIGNER: Leonardo Iaccarino
DESIGN FIRM: Leonardo Iaccarino
OTHER CREDITS: Photographer: Dumitrescu Ciprian-Florin (Shutterstock)


Design Poverty
Design Poverty
AUTHOR: BA (Hons) Graphic Design Students
PUBLISHER: Typenowhere


Elefant
Elefant
AUTHOR: Martin Suter
PUBLISHER: Buechergilde Gutenberg
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Marion Blomeyer
ART DIRECTOR: Marion Blomeyer
JACKET DESIGNER: Marion Blomeyer
DESIGN FIRM: Lowlypaper


Florentine Nights
Florentine Nights
AUTHOR: Heinrich Heine
PUBLISHER: Carambaia
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: mateus valadares
ART DIRECTOR: mateus valadares
JACKET DESIGNER: mateus valadares
DESIGN FIRM: mateus valadares estúdio
OTHER CREDITS: Print production: Lilia Goes; Editorial Assistant: Ana Ligia Martins; Book Still Photo: Nino Andrés; Images Credits:  The New York Public Library, Nova York.


Heating and Cooling
Heating and Cooling
AUTHOR: Beth Ann Fennelly
PUBLISHER: W.W. Norton
ART DIRECTOR: Ingsu Liu
JACKET DESIGNER: Alex Merto
OTHER CREDITS: Photographer: Gregory Reid


Hope
Hope
AUTHOR: Bruketa&Zinic&Grey
PUBLISHER: Adris Foundation
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Davor Bruketa
ART DIRECTOR: Davor Bruketa
DESIGN FIRM: Bruketa&Zinic&Grey
OTHER CREDITS: Illustrators: Iva Curic, Nebojsa Cvetkovic, Ana Zaja Petrak, Danijel Srdarev, Luka Juras, Davor Sunk, Hana Tintor, Anita Celic – Cella, Klarxy, Vedran Klemens, Filip Peraic, Alen Lipus, Tomislav Torjanac, Imelda Ramovic (Mireldy Design studio), Tea Jurisic, Srđana Modrinic – BooBoo, Helena Janecic, Igor Taritas, Slaven Kosanovic – Lunar, Tomislav Sestak, Dominik Vukovic, Tonka Lujanac, Vendi Vernic, Davor Rukovanjski; Photographer: Domagoj Kunic; Masa Ivanov (Account Director), Zrinka Pozar (Account Executive), Miran Tomicic (Head of Illustration), Vesna Durasin (Production Manager), Radovan Radicevic (Head of Pre-press/DTP), Danko Durasin (Pre-press/DTP operator)


How To Fix A Broken Heart and Make A Spare
How To Fix A Broken Heart and Make A Spare
AUTHOR: Tré Seals
PUBLISHER: n/a
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Tré Seals
ART DIRECTOR: Tré Seals
JACKET DESIGNER: Tré Seals
DESIGN FIRM: n/a
OTHER CREDITS: Illustrator: Tré Seals


Inventar lo posible. Manifiestos mexicanos contemporáneos
Inventar lo posible. Manifiestos mexicanos contemporáneos
AUTHOR: Luciano Concheiro (ed.)
PUBLISHER: Taurus / Pinguin Random House Grupo Editorial
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Santiago da Silva
ART DIRECTOR: Santiago da Silva
JACKET DESIGNER: Santiago da Silva
DESIGN FIRM: Studio Santiago da Silva
OTHER CREDITS: Typeface Fibel Nord (used in cover), designed by Peter Wiegel (Cat Fonts)


Jerzy
Jerzy
AUTHOR: Jerome Charyn
PUBLISHER: Bellevue Literary Press
JACKET DESIGNER: Alban Fischer
DESIGN FIRM: Alban Fischer Design


Kape 24 h Cookbook
Kape 24 h Cookbook
AUTHOR: Sanna Pöyry
PUBLISHER: Tammi
DESIGN FIRM: Bond Creative Agency
OTHER CREDITS: Illustrator: Kasperi Salovaara; Photographer: Sami Repo; Styling: Kirsikka Simberg


Liner Notes: On Parents & Children, Exes & Excess, Death & Decay, & a Few of My Other Favorite Things
Liner Notes: On Parents & Children, Exes & Excess, Death & Decay, & a Few of My Other Favorite Things
AUTHOR: Loudon Wainwright III
PUBLISHER: Blue Rider Press
ART DIRECTOR: Jason Booher
JACKET DESIGNER: Ben Denzer
OTHER CREDITS: Photographer: Kmazur / WireImage


Literature Classics
Literature Classics
AUTHOR: Aslı Güneş
PUBLISHER: Dogan Egmont Publishing, İstanbul
JACKET DESIGNER: Geray Gencer
DESIGN FIRM: Studio Geray Gencer
OTHER CREDITS: Illustrator: Geray Gencer


Luftwerk Solarise: A Sea of All Colors
Luftwerk Solarise: A Sea of All Colors
AUTHOR: Luftwerk / Lee Ann Norman
PUBLISHER: Luftwerk
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Renata Graw
ART DIRECTOR: Alexa Viscius
DESIGN FIRM: Normal Studio
OTHER CREDITS: Photographers: John Faier, Peter Tsai


Olafur Eliasson: Pentagonal Landscapes
Olafur Eliasson: Pentagonal Landscapes
AUTHOR: Riikka Stewen, Päivi Talasmaa, Juhani Pallasmaa
PUBLISHER: EMMA, Espoo Museum of Modern Art
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Tony Eräpuro
ART DIRECTOR: Tony Eräpuro
JACKET DESIGNER: Tony Eräpuro
DESIGN FIRM: Kuudes Helsinki
OTHER CREDITS: Photographer: Ari Karttunen, EMMA; Project manager, Sonja Söderholm Kuudes, Portfolio images by photographer Paavo Lehtonen, Editorial EMMA - Päivi Talasmaa, Esa Takala, Milla Rissanen, Suvi Sivulainen / Studio Olafur Eliasson - Geoffrey Garrison, Biljana Joksimovic-Grosse, Kristina Köper, Kathryn Politis, Vajra Spook, Emma Thorning Danielsen, Production Kirsi Rauhala Kuudes,


Once Upon a Time... The Western
Once Upon a Time... The Western
AUTHOR: Mary-Dailey Desmarais / Thomas Brent Smith
PUBLISHER: MMFA's Publishing Department / 5 Continents Éditions / Denver Art Museum
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Louis Gagnon
ART DIRECTOR: Daniel Robitaille
JACKET DESIGNER: Daniel Robitaille
DESIGN FIRM: Paprika


Pipilotti Rist Sip My Ocean
Pipilotti Rist Sip My Ocean
AUTHOR: Natasha Bullock
PUBLISHER: Museum of Contemporary Art Australia
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Alex Torcutti
ART DIRECTOR: Alex Torcutti
JACKET DESIGNER: Alex Torcutti
DESIGN FIRM: Museum of Contemporary Art Australia


Slavs and Tatars
Slavs and Tatars
AUTHOR: Pablo Larios
PUBLISHER: Koenig Books, London
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Michael Heimann, Hendrik Schwantes
ART DIRECTOR: Michael Heimann, Hendrik Schwantes
JACKET DESIGNER: Michael Heimann, Hendrik Schwantes
DESIGN FIRM: Heimann + Schwantes


Sleepy
Sleepy
AUTHOR: Hakan Bicakci
PUBLISHER: Iletisim Yayinevi
OTHER CREDITS: Illustrator: Koray Ekremoglu


Stephen Ormandy: Only Dancing
Stephen Ormandy: Only Dancing
AUTHOR: Mark Gowing and Elliott Bryce Foulkes
PUBLISHER: Formist
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Mark Gowing
JACKET DESIGNER: Elliott Bryce Foulkes
DESIGN FIRM: Formist


Stephen Shore: Selected Works, 1973—1981
Stephen Shore: Selected Works, 1973—1981
AUTHOR: Stephen Shore
PUBLISHER: Aperture
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Lesley A. Martin
JACKET DESIGNER: Murray & Sorrell FUEL
OTHER CREDITS: Photographer: Stephen Shore ; Texts and image selections by Wes Anderson, Quentin Bajac, David Campany, Paul Graham, Guido Guidi, Takashi Homma, An-My Lê, Michael Lesy, Hans Ulrich Obrist, Francine Prose, Ed Ruscha, Britt Salvesen, Taryn Simon, Thomas Struth, and Lynne Tillman


The Colosseum Book
The Colosseum Book
AUTHOR: Nunzio Giustozzi
PUBLISHER: Mondadori Electa S.p.a.
ART DIRECTOR: Paolo Tassinari
DESIGN FIRM: Tassinari/Vetta


The Many Lives of Erik Kessels
The Many Lives of Erik Kessels
AUTHOR: Erik Kessels
PUBLISHER: Aperture/CAMERA
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Angela Lidderdale, Lesley Martin
JACKET DESIGNER: Angela Lidderdale
DESIGN FIRM: Studio Lidderdale
OTHER CREDITS: Photographer: Erik Kessels; Introductory text by Francesco Zanot, Additional texts by Hans Aarsman, Simon Baker, and Sandra S. Phillips


The Secret History
The Secret History
AUTHOR: Donna Tartt
PUBLISHER: Penguin Books
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: David Tanguy
ART DIRECTOR: David Tanguy
JACKET DESIGNER: David Tanguy and Emily Schofield
DESIGN FIRM: Praline


The Stampographer
The Stampographer
AUTHOR: Vincent Sardon (author/artist), Lisa Pearson (editor)
PUBLISHER: Siglio
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Lisa Pearson
JACKET DESIGNER: Vincent Sardon
DESIGN FIRM: Siglio


The Tribe of the Esraris
The Tribe of the Esraris
AUTHOR: Ahmet Güntan
PUBLISHER: Koç University Press, Imprint
JACKET DESIGNER: E S Kibele Yarman
DESIGN FIRM: Kibele Yarman
OTHER CREDITS: Translator: Ali Alper Çakır, Editor: Emre Ayvaz


The Vanishing Futurist
The Vanishing Futurist
AUTHOR: Charlotte Hobson
PUBLISHER: Faber & Faber
ART DIRECTOR: Luke Bird
JACKET DESIGNER: La Boca
DESIGN FIRM: La Boca
OTHER CREDITS: Illustrator: La Boca


Twitter and Tear Gas
Twitter and Tear Gas
AUTHOR: Zeynep Tufekci
PUBLISHER: Yale University Press
ART DIRECTOR: Nancy Ovedovitz
JACKET DESIGNER: Sonia L. Shannon
DESIGN FIRM: Yale University Press
OTHER CREDITS: Photographer: Mstyslav Chernov/Unframe


Unsettled
Unsettled
AUTHOR: JoAnne Northrup
PUBLISHER: Hirmer Verlag
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Brad Bartlett
JACKET DESIGNER: Brad Bartlett
DESIGN FIRM: Brad Bartlett Design, LA
OTHER CREDITS: Illustrator: Jay Kim, Jon Nishida


WE WERE EIGHT YEARS IN POWER
WE WERE EIGHT YEARS IN POWER
AUTHOR: TA-NEHISI COATES
PUBLISHER: RANDOM HOUSE; ONE WORLD
ART DIRECTOR: GREG MOLLICA
JACKET DESIGNER: BEN GRANDGENNETT
OTHER CREDITS: Jacket photograph: Matthew Zach


Writing Not Writing: Poetry, Crisis, and Responsibility
Writing Not Writing: Poetry, Crisis, and Responsibility
AUTHOR: Tom Fisher
PUBLISHER: University of Iowa Press
ART DIRECTOR: Karen Copp
JACKET DESIGNER: Anne Jordan and Mitch Goldstein
DESIGN FIRM: Anne Jordan and Mitch Goldstein
OTHER CREDITS: Photographers: Anne Jordan and Mitch Goldstein





Observed


Is the future of refugee housing permanence?

It’s Pablo-matic: Picasso According to Hannah Gadsby,” explores Picasso‘s legacy through a feminist lens, asking if, when, and how modern audiences can separate the artist’s work from his infamously misogynistic behavior.

Quite possibly the most fascinating job opportunity in design right now.

Jessica Helfand on using AI as a tool to reverse-engineer a historical narrative.

Rethinking the city.

Rethinking the planet.

The problems of the user interface, one streaming service at a time. More here.

Urban design, with safety in mind. And that includes parks.

Think design thinking is over? Think again.

A museum renames a vegetable still life by Van Gogh that identified the wrong kind of allium.

Graphic design and typography obsessives—look no further!

“The challenge isn’t just that our systems default to keeping the “unlike” out,” notes Jens Martin Skibsted, “but we are, rather, in need of an interconnected worldview that appreciates the existence of other realities and contexts.”

Neville Brody’s new monograph (his THIRD)—covering his work for Nike, Coca-Cola, Tate Modern and Channel 4, as well as various informational graphics and magazine editorials—will be published next month by Thames&Hudson.

Milan Design Week wants to know your most memorable experience. Ours is easily Shaped by Water, an immersive experience exploring water as a source of inspiration for design. Co-created by Ivy Ross and her design team in collaboration with the water, light, and sound artist, Lachlan Turczan. Vote for your favorite here.

Non-profit design advocacy agency Where are the Black Designers? (WATBD?) has announced a year-long partnership with digital product studio Ustwo.

“He was mulling a career in graphic design when, at 17, he saw a searing image that would change the course of his life.” The American photographer Kwame Brathwaite has died. Considered the catalyst fo the “black is beautiful” movement in the 1960s, Braithwaite’s career spanned art, music, and more. He was 85.

The subtley, simplicity, and curious symbolism of the humble serif.

After a career of looking at pictures, she is now making them. George Gendron talks to Kathy Ryan, longtime director of photography at The New York Times Magazine.

COLLINS co-founder and Chief Creative Officer Brian Collins and co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Leland Maschmeyer will speak on branding and creativity at OFFF Barcelona this weekend.

“I can’t imagine any person with a background in graphic design made that thing without a committee of bland politicians sanding away its edges until they felt safe enough to unveil that to the public.” Behold: Logogate!

Black designers, curators, and more.

How do you stop deep-sea trawlers from harming ecosystems? Commission 10-ton marble sculptures and place them on the ocean floor, of course.

For ten years, Matt Needle has reimagined every best picture award nominee by redesigning their posters.

Coca-Cola...and art?



Jobs | June 10