Tuesday, December 14, 2010

"The Art of Urban Cycling"

One of my favorite book covers I've designed, in part because I created this very colorful collage with photos from a great friend of mine, in addition to those supplied by the author. I also really like my typography, the tone and design fully supporting the text and the interior design. I really dislike it when a book cover is designed by someone and the interior is designed by someone else because it's harder to coordinate a total "look," but that is the way most books are produced. With my long career and "reputation," I have usually been able to design the entire book, and I like to think my books are better for it.

M Y  B O O K   D E S I G N S — "The Art of Urban Cycling," ©2004, is one of the last books I designed working full-time for GPP, the Globe Pequot Press. The text is, as the title implies, all about how to safely pilot your bike through crowded city streets. The interior is black and white in this paperback book, but I was determined to make the design very eye-catching anyway. I decided on a graffiti-theme early on, and had my friend (and loyal blog lurker, lol) Meghan, who works in Manhattan, spend a few lunch hours walking around the lower East Side shooting photos for me. I incorporated them into collages and along with author-supplied photographs, charts and graphs, produced a compelling looking, and reading, book. It was a critical success, if, unfortunately  not so much in sales. I call this the "Arrested Development" school of success: The critics loved it but it was ultimately cancelled, lol.

Each chapter opened with a 2-page spread and collage of photos relating to the chapter's contents. I should have re-read this chapter prior to my bike accident this summer, the effects of which I'm still dealing with.

"Regular" interior pages carried subheads and drop caps in this style, and I created several stand-alone full page collages to facilitate page flow. Yes, I found a way to create a car-collage in this bicycling book! 

• The Amazon link to The Art of Urban Cycling, including many rave reader reviews. Two years after this first edition, and after I left the company to go freelance and to work on my personal art, the cover was redesigned to better fit in with the series, but it lost its uniqueness if you ask me. I'm linking to my original edition. lol.

8 comments:

  1. ROSS WILL BE ON CHELSEA TONIGHT.

    GO TO----
    http://helloartichokeannie.blogspot.com/

    GRANNY

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  2. Lessons from the street...I was about to mention your bicycle accident and you beat me to the punch. I would imagine the colder weather isn't helping hurting bones. I like your cover design, filled with casey-colours.

    Hi Granny ... see granny promote her favs.........lol ;) luv you granny girl.

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  3. THANKS ANNIE, THIS IS YOUR DAY.YOU MUST HAVE DONE SOMETHING RIGHT TO GET SUCH AN HONOR. I HOPE YOUR FAMILY WERE INVITED. I'M BUYING A BILLBORAD WITH YOUR PICTURE ON IT SO THE WHOLE COUNTRY CAN SEE IT. LOL, J/K.

    GRANNY

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  4. Casey, I just love your book cover and inside art on this book! I looked up the revised later cover and it's just totally blah! What were they *thinking*?? Your colors and images evoked so many feelings and reactions! Or, there's just a bike. Part of a bike. Sheesh!

    Ms. Annie, huge congratulations on your big honor! I am so proud of you! To know you! Wonderful work. Makes me know I have to step up my efforts to find a new volunteer opportunity in my area.

    Katie

    PS Just gotta find some of those sacshorts or whatever they're called! Bwahahaha

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  5. Thanks everybody for the congrats, the work is its own reward. I love it. Yes, granny two of my grandkids skipped school that morning to be there it was really nice. Nice for them to see my serious side, the wacko me they know all too well. lol

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  6. GOOD NIGHT CASEY GOOD NIGHT

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  7. Bless you. Annie, for your good works and kind heart
    "Wacko?" If you are a wacko I wish there were more 'wackos"like you in the world !



    AP

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  8. Thanks AP... take care all. Going to take a little trip be back home on Friday evening and will check in on everyone then. Remember no fighting kids. Now there you go...talk amongst yourselves.

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