TODAY: Inside Penguin – meet the designers on 6th October

UPDATE:

The designers – Coralie Bickford-Smith, Katy Finch, Richard Green, Benjamin Hughes, Lee Motley and Matthew Young – will be here TODAY between 1 and 2pm to answer your questions about what they do at Penguin: the second in a series of live Q&As to give you a behind-the-scenes look at how publishing really works. We’ll be responding to the questions you’ve already asked, and answering any new questions you have in the comments section, so get posting below.

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Penguin are setting up a series of live webchats with people working in different roles around the company, to give you an inside glimpse at how the publishing industry works and what we all do. Our last Q&A session with Penguin’s copywriters generated a lot of discussion, so we’re running another webchat next week on Thursday 6th October. This time you can meet the cover designers – the people with one of the most enviable but pressurised jobs in publishing.

Want to know how a Penguin cover gets designed, where designers get their inspiration from, what makes a good jacket, or anything else? They will be here on the Penguin Blog to reveal the secrets of their trade on Thursday 6th October between 1 and 2pm.

Our online panel, in alphabetical order, will be:

Coralie Bickford-Smith – a Senior Designer for the Penguin Press division, where she has created several series designs. She graduated from Reading University after studying Typography and Graphic Communication and has worked in-house at Penguin Books since 2002.

Katy Finch - Puffin Fiction Design Manager, designing covers and insides for a variety of titles including Roald Dahl backlist, children's classics and Young Adult titles. She has worked at Penguin for 6 years, and graduated from Glasgow School of Art in 1999.

Richard Green - a Senior Designer for Penguin Press, working mainly on non-fiction titles. He has been designing covers for over 10 years.

Benjamin Hughes – Senior Designer, Media and Entertainment, Penguin Children's. Ben has worked at Penguin for 4 years, designing book covers, insides and new formats for a range of brands including Doctor Who, TopGear and the Harry Potter film franchise.

Lee Motley – a Deputy Art Director who works on a variety of books across Penguin’s General and Michael Joseph divisions, focusing largely on commercial women’s fiction titles.

Matthew Young – a Junior Cover Designer in Penguin Press, who graduated from uni last summer and started his job here in February. To date he has designed 16 book covers, mostly for non-fiction titles.

Get thinking about what you’d like to ask them, and feel free to start posting your questions now in the comments section below, so they’ll have plenty to get to grips with. Come back on Thursday 6th October between 1 and 2pm to see how they reply and to post any more questions you might have.

Louise Willder, Copywriter

Comments

[cheekychen]

What's the most interesting thing about penguins?

[EmilyB]

I have a question for Matthew Young: How does the work you do at Penguin compare to the coursework at university?
I ask this because I'm a graphic design student in uni myself, and I would love to go into this field after graduating!

[Kristen]

To Benjamin Hughes: What book do you recommend for my 9 year old little sister? She is not big on reading, but will as long as there is animals involved.

[Nicola]

I have a general question (and possibly a silly one): Do you always read the book before designing the cover?

[Ruby]

Is cover design going to become essentially redundant with the rise of ebooks?

[Cory Landels]

I am a student who is considering working in the publishing industry. Ideally, I would like to be designing book covers. What are some steps that I should take now to realize this goal and how should I be prepared to respond to a changing industry?

[Waaassaaaaaa]

To Benjamin Hughes:-

Would you say design reflects the existential nature of the human species. And if so, how?

[ahem]

It's surprising more publishers haven't embraced the multi-sensory nature of the 'just me and a book' reading experience...

For example, reading a romantic holiday novel with a cd recording of the sound of distant chatter and lapping waves! Or a scratch and sniff cook book?! What are Penguin doing to embrace the multi-sensory aspect of reading?!?! Perhaps a Twilight book with a recording of sinister noises and wolf howls?!

[Kate]

I'd be very interested to know more about the journey of a book cover, from creative idea to the finished product on a book shop shelf... What are the goal posts from start to finish that designers move through at Penguin?

[Ling]

I'm wondering if cover designers read all the books they design covers for? Or whether reading a synopsis is enough to generate ideas?

[Sabrina Russo]

As an aspiring cover designer I'm really looking forward to this webchat tomorrow. I have a couple of questions - does the author of a book ever have a say or get involved in the cover design or is it out of their hands? If a book is to be part of a series, will the same designer be tasked with doing all the covers, in order to be consistent, or do different designers work together to the same guidelines/brief?

[Ninabellbooks]

What do you think of the current debate on women's fiction covers? Are high heels and girly curly designs, in pink, the only way to sell books to women? Do you think some women's fiction would lose readers if it had more serious covers? And do you do any formal market research on this topic?

[Hazel]

is designing a book for Penguin different from designing for other publishers ?

[deb]

How much are the authors involved in the cover process? Does each designer do all the image research, purchasing, as well as, the layout and final mock-ups? How is the cover voting and presentation house intern? What about the image processing for the final printing, ist this done inhouse or with third parties? How do events like Typo2011 London (or Berlin) play a roll for the designers at Penguin? So many questions ...

[Diana]

For Coralie Bickford-Smith:

I adore your cover designs for the classics. To what extent would you say the narrative influences your creative process? Is there a particular design that you feel is especially connected to a text?

[Rafa]

I think your work is very important as the cover is the first image a book gives about itself. And it also can affect the reading process as, for example, if the cover directly illustrates the story or any of its characters.
Do you prefer to create a cover that follows the text literally, or do you seek the abstraction?

[WillMcMonnies]

I too would like to know the extent to which you involve an author before and during the design process, realising of course that the design of the book is largely a commercial decision.

[Emmeline Pidgen]

As cover designers, do you ever feel constrained to produce a cover that will generate sales rather than the design representing your personal interpretation of the book, or a original/unusual design you feel looks fantastic but might not appeal to the intended audience as well?
Is it worth taking the risk with an original cover, or instead go with a failsafe image the audience would recognise as the genre/style of book?

Thanks,

[Liva]

I would ask how much time is been spent to create a book cover. Is it like week or months.

[emma]

I am a recent graphic design graduate and would love to get into designing book covers.

Just wondering how you all got started in the field of publishing, any tips for aspiring book designers of how to get your foot in the door?

Thanks!

[coralie]

Hi Diana,
Thanks for liking my designs for the classics. I try to read all the books I design covers for but sometimes (due to time constraints) it is just not possible and I go to the blurbs team for a chat to bounce ideas off. For me the narrative influences my creative process massively. For the hardback classics some of the final patterns are more literal than others. The peacock feather on Dorian Grey, for example, plays on the book’s themes of vanity and the superficial, whereas the leaf motif on Jane Eyre, refers directly to the lightning-blasted chestnut tree, a concrete element in the text that serves as a potent symbol of the book’s central relationship.

I hope that answers your question.

[Richard Green]

Liva, the answer is both. Depending on the project it can be a quick process (I've designed covers in a matter of hours) or can drag on for weeks, it depends on a lot of factors.

[Benjamin Hughes]

Hi Ruby,
Not at all, it will just adapt to the format.
A cover visual will still be required for the ebook.
Plus, books aren't dying, the physical form of a book in your hands still feels far more comforting than a tablet.

[Katy]

Hi Rafa, its great to do both. I’m lucky in that I work on both classics repackaging, which often allows a more abstract cover approach, and also teen fiction, which often has to be more literal. So already today I have been working on some photographic style covers for some books about the Olympics trying to find exactly the right cycling helmet for the character on the cover, and I’ve also been working on Tales of Greek Heroes, which has an abstract patterned cover.

[Benjamin Hughes]

Hi Emmeline,

Good question.
As I design for commercial brands, this conflict between original and commercially viable design is a daily issue. It really depends on the licensor and the type of book. A gift title, for example, allows you to create something a lot more original, as it has to look and feel special in comparison to the less expensive titles in a series. However, you always have to consider how the book will look on the shelf and what it will be competing against, and also where it will be sold and to what audience.
Sometimes you can have a great idea for a cover but it's just not appropriate for the market so you have to let it go, but it's fun to push the boundaries as far as you can to create a good cover.

[Katy]

Hi Deb, at Puffin authors vary in how much they want to be involved in their covers design. I personally find authors contributions invaluable. For example its important the covers of our teen war series Duty Calls are historically accurate in detail, so James Holland the author has been really helpful giving us precise details as to the exact model of weapons and planes the covers should feature and has even loaned us uniforms for photoshoots.

[Sabrina Russo]

Hi all - excuse the cheesy saying, but in your view, can you actually judge a book by it's cover? I know I often do...

[Katy]

Hi Hazel, yes, of course its much more fun designing Penguin books than for other publishers! Having worked for a couple of other publishers I find that Penguin generally value design more than other companies. Strong, groundbreaking design is part of Penguin's heritage, so designers have more of a voice here than at other publishers where cover designs can sometimes be more sales led.

[Matt the cover designer]

In response to @EmilyB:

'How does the work you do at Penguin compare to the coursework at university?'

In some ways there are vast differences, but I think that the general process is similar. We get given a brief, we do a bit of research (reading parts of the book for example – researching relevant topics), and then we have to come up with some ideas. Once I've got a few ideas that I'm happy with (this doesn't always happen), I'll show them to our Art Director (Jim Stoddart, he's awesome). This part always reminds me of having to present work for 'crits' at uni. Jim will give some feedback, and once we're both happy with the work Jim will take our designs to the weekly cover meeting, where he'll present the cover ideas to all the important people (the book's editor, the Marketing Manager, the MD, etc). This is terrifying. It's like a final crit, but you're not even there to talk about your own work. You know that there's a room full of people discussing your work, but you have no idea what they're saying about it.

One of the massive differences is that at uni we always had much longer to complete work. At the time it felt like we were being completely over worked, but looking back we sometimes had a month or more to create a logo / advert / illustration / whatever, usually for a product / brand that was entirely fictional. At Penguin we often have a few days (sometimes we have longer, it's not all bad) to come up with a book cover, and you know that the finished product is going to be printed by the thousand, so there's an added pressure to create something you're proud of.

[Art_at_eastwing]

Hello all - we at Eastwing are wondering what percentage of the covers you are currently designing feature illustration?

Thanks and all the best.

[Benjamin Hughes]

Hi Kirsten,

Try these:
Black Beauty
The Wind in the Willows
Anything by Cathy Cassidy (not necessarily any animals involved but good reading for a 9 year old girl)

Hope that helps.

[Jabe]

For everyone: Some say book designers are a rare breed. What skills or insights do you think set you apart from graphic designers in general? Or do you reject the distinction?

[Matt the cover designer]

In response to @cheekychen:

'What's the most interesting thing about penguins?'

Good question, let me Google that for you: http://lmgtfy.com/?q=interesting+things+about+penguins

[coralie]

Hi Eastwing,

My covers seem to be all illustration recently. But it will be different for the the designers around Penguin.

[Benjamin Hughes]

Hi Sabrina:

'Hi all - excuse the cheesy saying, but in your view, can you actually judge a book by it's cover? I know I often do...'

I do ALL the time.
But then, I'm a designer, so it's allowed. It's hard not to in all honesty, but only initially. A good book will gain a great reputation based on it's content.
But the initial focus is the cover, which is why we pay a lot of attention to the design. It's the first thing you see, a good cover can push you to choose that particular book over the others on the shelves. Then it's up to the blurb to pull you in.

[Katy]

Hi Ruby, in regard of ebooks, I agree with Ben. I think there has never been a more exciting time to be a cover designer, our cover designs now have to work across an increased number of formats each with their own challenges. I think e-books are convenient, but customers still appreciate books as beautiful objects and gifts, so we’re finding our special hardback editions of books, with extra special finishes and materials are increasingly popular too.

[Matt the cover designer]

In response to @Nicola:

'Do you always read the book before designing the cover?'

Well I'd love to say yes, but unfortunately it would be impossible to read every book. I'd spend all my time reading (which would be great), but have no time left for designing. I'll always read at least some of the book, usually the first few chapters, sometimes the last few chapters, in order to get a feel for the tone of the book, the way it's written, etc. That's usually enough to start generating some ideas.

On the few occasions where I have read the entire book, it's actually made it harder to design the cover. Don't ask me to explain why though.

Also, sometimes we get asked to design covers for books that haven't even finished being written yet. We're typically designing covers 9 months ahead of the publication date, so sometimes the author is still writing a text whilst we're working on their cover.

[Richard Green]

Hi Jabe,

I think you need to have a varied set of design skills in book design. A lot of our designers do their own illustration, typography, artworking and photography on projects. Weather that sets us apart from designers in other fields... not sure.

[coralie]

Hi Ruby, I agree with katy. I have had a great time at Penguin working with special finishes and justifying the physical book by thinking about it as an object that people want to touch. I love working with production and the printers to make sure the finishes we use are perfectly printed.

[Katy]

Hi Cory and Emma,
Re - getting into book cover design -
Entering the Penguin and Puffin design prizes is a good first step! Try to get some work experience, be super-enthusiastic, have a website, a blog, get your work on other blogs. Mine your tutors for advice, contacts and technical know-hows, I didn’t realize that you don’t get that chance of so much help ever again! I appreciate how tricky it is for graduates trying to get their first break, but in some ways, thanks to the net and digital, its never been easier than now to put your work “out there” and get noticed, you don’t have to wait till you graduate. People are always looking for the next “new” thing in design, well I am anyway.

[Benjamin Hughes]

Would you say design reflects the existential nature of the human species. And if so, how?

Posted by: Waaassaaaaaa

Hello Waaassaaaaaa,
Easy question that.

Yes.
I 'believe that existence comes before essence – or, if you will, that we must begin from the subjective.'

Jean-Paul Sartre 1946

It reads just like a cover design brief. Uncanny.

[Benjamin Hughes]

Hi Cory and Emma,
Re - getting into book cover design -

I agree with Katy, get your work out there via a website or Tumblr etc. I once read that Stefan Sagmeister sets himself a daily design task, at the time he would take an hour out of his day to re-design album covers.
I tried that once with a list of the books that I'd read in the past year, was fun to do and enhanced my portfolio.

[Katy]

Hi Kate,
Regarding cover design goal posts -
I’d say the goalposts constantly move from the start of a cover design to the finish. Its important to know when to be flexible and find a new design route, and when to be stubborn and try to preciously hold onto “your vision”! Sometimes much better cover designs arise as solutions from unexpected problems, and often its quite satisfying to know you’ve problem-solved along the way as well as being creatively satisfied with a cover.

[Matt the cover designer]

In response to @Liva:

'I would ask how much time is being spent to create a book cover. Is it like weeks or months?'

It really varies a lot from project to project; sometimes we get given a few days, sometimes we have a few weeks. And we're usually juggling three or four projects at any one time. The longest I've ever spent on a book cover is 84 hours work from start to finish (What, you mean you don't fastidiously keep a record on how many hours you spend on every project, ever? Is that just me?)

[WillMcMonnies]

Katy mentioned it was helpful having props from the author to help with the accuracy of the design - I wondered to what extent it is helpful to have ideas/pointer given to you in the brief or whether you refer starting with a 'blank page'?

[Matt the cover designer]

In response to @SabrinaRusso:

'Can you actually judge a book by it's cover?'

Whether you *should* judge a book by its cover or not, I don't know. But I think we all do.

If people stop judging books by their covers then we might all be out of a job. So please, keep being judgemental, ok?

[Louise the copywriter]

Thanks everyone for some fantastic questions and answers!

[Kenna Davis]

Hello All,

This is more of a 2 part client based question.

Within Penguin how much author involvement is there in the creative process and with the finalization of the cover design?

Do you feel it is beneficial to the cover design to have more or less author involvement, or, to only present relevant concepts that will relate to and market the book well?

Thanks!

[K.]

Hi! I love how clean and classic looking the Penguin editions are, and I usually use them when I'm reading a book to review (http://themodernlibrarians.blogspot.com/) because I can stand to look at it for a long time!
I was wondering if it was harder or easier to design the cover of a book that has been well-read and around for a long time when you can't get any input from the author?

[Bella]

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