The New York Trilogy
Design by Gray 318
This not-yet-published cover for Paul Auster's The New York Trilogy is such a refreshing take, and not simply because it avoids all-too-predictable photos of iconic New York buildings or the skyline, already done any number of times.
When pure geometric designs works, boy, does it ever work. (Helen Yentus' Camus redesigns are great recent examples of this). Sure, these are buildings, but they're buildings whose abstraction and oblique orientation speak directly to the identity-twisting stories Auster is telling. They say a lot more than a photo of the Empire State Building flipped upside-down ever could.
One last thing: check out the copy on the Faber & Faber site, which calls The New York Trilogy "gripping for its starkness" and "bold (and) arresting." We could say the same things about this design, yes?
I lied: another last thing: Art Spiegelman's cover for the Penguin Deluxe Classics Edition, 'cause I know someone's going to bring it up...
12 comments:
Everyone would like the penguin cover if it stood on its own. It's unfortunate for Spiegelman that his solid design will be compared to the stark powerhouse that is the F&F design.
It is clearly much better than a skyscraper photo... but I don't like the greenish. Taste and colors...
I love so much Helen Yentus'Camus covers that each time I fall upon one I have to fight with my inner soul not to buy it... I read French.
I own a Penguin Deluxe classics and love it.
the true power of Camus only comes across in English, so buy one.
I like both of them for different reasons, but my favorite is definitely the second. I love bright colors.
that first one breathes of Paul Rand.
I'm glad the designer avoided the NYC skyline thing, but honestly the Faber cover just bores me... as do dull-as-death Penguin (non-classics) covers for Auster's backlist.
It might take the somewhat obvious route, but the recent Folio edition of the New York Trilogy (by Tom Burns) is so beautifully done that it seems rather churlish to hold that against it:
http://www.vam.ac.uk/activ_events/events/illustration_awards/publishedcat/2008-book/index.php?section=2&postIndex=127&postSearch=&category=&start=120&show=12
The illustrations inside are stunning too.
Ferret: Thanks for that link. And here's the link to all of the recent Victoria & Albert winners: http://www.vam.ac.uk/activ_events/events/illustration_awards/publishedcat/2008-book/index.php
the first one is way too cool… instant classic.
This time I preferred the penguin one. The yellow one dazzled me.
Wendy
http://wendyvoldemort.blogspot.com/
The first one is great...simple and iconic. Can't beat the yellow and gray combo either.
I prefer also the penguin one.
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