Design Choices....Camille Rose Garcia's new "Alice"

Since we are all looking at book design this week, I'm hoping everyone will post the book they are going to argue for. I am still waffling (of course...) I had chosen Alice Through the Looking Glass newly illustrated by Camille Rose Garcia, but turns out it is being marketed as an 18+ gift book by Collins Design, so it is not really in the category we are considering.  I chose it because I was interested in how someone takes an iconic book...like Alice or The Grimm's Fairytales and updates them for a 21st c. audience. The production quality of this book is over the top....

With watercolor and acrylic, Camille Rose Garcia creates a new illustrative interpretation of Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. The newly packaged unabridged classic has a distinct personality setting it apart from the numerous other illustration styles associated with the book throughout history. It is filled with imagination and a vibrant color palette and has a slight Goth aesthetic. The gift book is published by the Collins Design division of HarperCollins.

Not to be overlooked is the lovely interior design of the actual book by Agnieszka Stachowicz (who is also credited for the design of the dust jacket). 

Books and Tattoos

On a note related to the previous post concerning judging a book by its cover, Penguin Publishers is recreating some new eye-catching covers that are sure to guarantee at least my purchase.

Penguin has created a new line of books known as Penguin Ink. Already published adult novels are getting a face lift with new cover designs created by tattoo artists. Paul Buckley is the design director for this new line.

The first six novels are being re-released at the end of June. They are:

Bridget Jones's Diary
by Helen Fielding, cover design by Tara McPherson
Paperback: 9780143117131, $15, Penguin, Pub. Date: June 2010

Money: A Suicide Note
by Marin Amis, cover design by Bert Krak
Paperback: 9780143116950, $15, Penguin, Pub. Date: June 2010

From Russia With Love
by Ian Fleming, cover design by Chris Garver
Paperback: 9780143116943, $15, Penguin, Pub. Date: June 2010



The Broom of the System
by David Foster Wallace, cover design by Duke Riley
Paperback: 9780143116936, $15, Penguin, Pub. Date: June 2010


Waiting for the Barbarians
by J.M. Coetzee, cover design by Chris Conn
Paperback: 9780143116929, $15, Penguin, Pub. Date: June 2010


The Bone People
by Keri Hulme, cover design by Pepa Heller
Paperback: 9780143116455, $15, Penguin, Pub. Date: June 2010

Read more about this here.

And in case you missed it in an earlier post, some adult Penguin Classics have been redone to have intricate typography covers in shades of black, white, and red - the red is to spark AIDS awareness, the cause behind the repackaging. Read more about the Penguin Classics here.

This blog post was originally posted here. - Rebecca Fabian

Who Says? Design matters!

Who says we shouldn't choose a book by its cover? I know I do...all the time. What prompts you to pick up a book and spend $$ on it. THE COVER! right? I have even bought books I have never read, but I keep them BECAUSE I like the cover. Weird....yep. But I also won't read a book that if I don't like the design or the font. so....go figure. But that said, there are TONS of beautiful, interesting, funky, strange, and fruity covers. AND there are BORING ones too.
What are some of your favorites? S