Something to add to your pile of must-read articles on the current state of book design and book publishing. Thanks to Chong for these links.
http://www.thebookseller.com/news/publishers-missing-trick-blurbs.html
http://www.thebookseller.com/news/e-books-will-blow-apart-cover-design.html
And this one via Josh. Thanks for the Josh
http://web.overland.org.au/2011/06/meanland-the-death-of-the-book-and-other-utopian-fantasies/
Well?
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Without wanting to get all personal and sooky, I am disappointed at the speed of change- I have only been designing book covers for 4 years now and wonder how many good years (if any) are left? Jesus I only just feel like I have my head around the whole game. I am not sure about Identity Packages- are they part of Ken Catos Broader Visual Language systems? Maybe its the BOOKSHELF designers and makers that should be really fretting? Ultimately, I like these little mini posters we get to do- the simple challenge in filling that portrait rectangle with something new. The limitation of it. The finality of it- good and bad and horribly compromised. 'The physicality of it' he says with a whiff of Luddite. Things will settle down. Look at the rise of the craft movement- do you think Singer (sewing machines not Peter) anticipated the hipness of sewing in the 2010's? from young twenty somethings of all people? Felt suppliers- hell they are laughing. The resurgence of vinyl records. Hey Hey its Saturday- no sorry, that wrong. A balance will be struck. Niches will be nurtured. Inevitably less will be printed, but more will be designed they say. More visually identity thingies that are kinda like multimedia like and a bit like web sites but not. And they will have type and pictures!- so all is not lost
ReplyDeletehooray!
Josh
I hear you loud and clear Josh. All is not lost . . . Not yet anyway. But things are moving very fast indeed and designers are wondering how to get on board the departing ship, me included . . . Not to mention editors and other in the industry. I for one, am not interested in learning HTML. That job remains with the typesetter still . . . Well doesn't it? Can anyone out there reassure me that I don't have to learn HTML? Please? But how important will those mini posters be now, in the choosing of this book over that one?
ReplyDeleteThis is a good common sense article. Very helpful to one who is just finding the resources about this part. It will certainly help educate me.
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