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You are here: Home / Archives for design

Beautiful Useful Things: What William Morris Made by Beth Kephart ill. Melodie Stacey

April 11, 2022 By achuka Leave a Comment

ACHUKA Book of the Day 11 Apr 2022

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“The nature elements that appear as motifs throughout the artwork, coupled with detailed close-ups of the processes of whittling, sewing, and bookbinding, reveal just how much Morris’ art was connected to his appreciation of the beauty of the natural world. A harmonious picture book whose poetic text and delicate illustrations befit its subject.” KIRKUS

A poetic story about the life and work of William Morris, maker of beautiful, useful things, sure to engage young dreamers and artists.

William Morris is best known for his colourful wallpapers and textiles, inspired by English forests and wild foliage. But  this icon of the Arts and Crafts Movement was also a poet, a painter, a preservationist, an activist, an environmentalist, and a maker of many other beautiful useful things, like books.

Follow the Brighton-based illustrator on Instagram:

 

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A post shared by Melodie Stacey (@melodiestacey)

And follow the author on Instagram too:

 

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A post shared by Beth Kephart (@bethkephartnow)

Filed Under: BookOfTheDay, NonFiction Tagged With: art, biography, design, nature, wallpaper

Sight: Glimmer, Glow, SPARK, FLASH! by Romana Romanyshyn & Andriy Lesiv

July 22, 2021 By achuka Leave a Comment

ACHUKA Book of the Day 22 Jul 2021

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Produced by a duo of Ukraine-based multi-award-winning artists known as Agrafka Studio: https://www.instagram.com/art_studio_agrafka/

A real “WOW-Wonderful!” illustrated non-fiction picture book in which the visual voice is as important as the voice spoken by the words.

* VISUAL EDUCATION: A striking visualization of a complex subject and a compelling, nimble and clarifying look of what otherwise might be only a jumble of abstract information
* INTRICATE DETAIL/IN-YOUR-FACE KNOWLEDGE: A combination of richly-layered illustrations and carefully crafted text not only provides an immediate wealth of information but rewards rereading and careful attention from sharp eyes.
* MORE THAN JUST THE FACTS: The authors’ wide-ranging intellectual curiosity encourages not only scientific exploration but philosophical reflection on the very nature of sight.
* SUPPORTS STEM BASED EDUCATION: Oodles of facts in an appealing kid package.

Filed Under: Blog, BookOfTheDay, Books, NonFiction Tagged With: design

The House of Serendipity: Sequins And Secrets by Lucy Ivison ill. Catherine Collingridge

July 14, 2021 By achuka Leave a Comment

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“I loved it… A 1920s fairy tale, Cinderella with a lot of luck and a touch of Nancy Mitford.” Hilary McKay
“A story full of women who almost universally welcome and encourage each other. The sketches of the clothing designs are fun and give young readers a sense of what 1920s clothing looked like. A charming tale of sisterhood woven together with fashion, history, and subterfuge.” KIRKUS

Welcome to The House of Serendipity, where friendships are fashioned and destinies designed amongst the ballgowns, tiaras and trifles!

A glamorous new series, perfect for fans of Katherine Woodfine and Robin Stevens. Meet Myrtle Mathers and Sylvia Cartwright: two girls from different worlds bonded by a passion for fashion! They know that the perfect outfit can make dreams come true, and their dazzling designs are the talk of 1920s London… So when Agapantha Portland-Prince wants to escape her glamorous debutante ball for a life of adventure, it’s their magical talents she needs. But can the girls make all their secret dreams a reality, or will this be the most stylish scandal of the century?

Cover design by Helen Crawford-White…
See her Instagram for more book jacket designs > https://instragram.com/studiohelenbooks

Filed Under: Fiction Tagged With: 1920s, design, dress, fashion, historical

Rule Of Threes by Marcy Campbell

May 17, 2021 By achuka Leave a Comment

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An interior design enthusiast, twelve-year-old Maggie Owens is accustomed to living her life according to her own precise plans. But when she learns about Tony, a mysterious half-brother her own age who needs a place to stay, any semblance of a plan is shattered. Tony’s mom struggles with an addiction to opioids, and now she’s called upon Maggie’s dad-who is also Tony’s dad-to take him in. On top of everything, Maggie must also come to terms with the Alzheimer’s afflicting her beloved grandmother.

While Maggie can strive for-and even succeed in-a picture perfect design, when it comes to family, there is no such thing as perfection. To work through the sudden struggles rocking her world, Maggie must learn the importance of having an open heart.

Filed Under: Fiction Tagged With: business, design, entrepeneur, interior design, MG, middle-grade

The Queen’s Wardrobe: The Story of Queen Elizabeth II and Her Clothes by Julia Golding ill. Kate Hindley

April 1, 2021 By achuka Leave a Comment

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Written by the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize-winning Julia Golding, The Queen’s Wardrobe is packed with fascinating stories and astounding facts about our record-breaking Queen. The detailed, humorous and colourful artwork from bestselling Kate Hindley shows what it’s really like to grow up as a princess. The story of the life of Queen Elizabeth II, told through her clothes and jewellery – and a gorgeous gift to treasure. A big beautiful book to celebrate the Queen’s 95th birthday in style!

Did you know the Queen’s crown weighs as much as a bag of potatoes? Or that she has her own tartan nobody else is allowed to wear?

Filed Under: Gift, Illustrated, NonFiction Tagged With: clothes, costume, design, fashion

The Hate U Give Book [US] Cover Vs the Movie Poster

August 2, 2018 By achuka Leave a Comment

Really interesting interview with the illustrator of the US cover for The Hate U Give and the way the original concept has been adapted for the movie poster:

The cover for Angie Thomas’s acclaimed Black Lives Matter–inspired novel, The Hate U Give, began, fittingly, as a piece of protest art. Back in 2015, Debra Cartwright, the artist who made the illustration, was sitting at her desk at People magazine in Times Square while a protest over the death of Freddie Gray took place on the street below. Unable to knock off work to join in, Cartwright did the next best thing: She sketched an illustration on Photoshop of a woman holding up a protest sign. Only her puff of curly hair is visible above the edge of a poster with the words “End Police Terror.” The piece went viral, and eventually, Angie Thomas saw it on Instagram and suggested it to her publisher as cover material. Last week, the official poster for the movie adaptation, due out in October, was released online; the poster is closely modeled on Cartwright’s work.

via The Hate U Give Book Cover Vs the Movie Poster.

Filed Under: Blog, Books Tagged With: adaptation, cover, design, illustration, movie

Cover Design For Book One Of The Book Of Dust Is Revealed

June 29, 2017 By achuka Leave a Comment

The cover (by Chris Wormell, an award-winning British illustrator and print-maker, specialising in wood engraving and linocut techniques) of La Belle Sauvage, the first volume of Philip Pullman’s highly-anticipated The Book of Dust, has just been been revealed [today, Thursday 29th June 2017]. 

The image depicts the ‘massive flood’ at the centre of the new story and features the canoe, La Belle Sauvage, owned by Malcolm Polstead, the book’s hero. The cover also features another character, whose identity has not yet been revealed, and two dæmons.

Both the UK and US book jackets are designed by Wormell.

La Belle Sauvage: The Book of Dust Volume One will be published simultaneously on 19th October 2017 by David Fickling Books in association with Penguin Random House Children’s in the UK, and Random House Children’s Books in the US.

Philip Pullman says: “I’ve admired Chris Wormell’s artwork for a long time, and when the chance of having him illustrate the covers of my new novel came along I leapt at it. I relish his sure strong line and the graphic power of his images, in whatever medium he’s working. It’s been a delight to see the work emerge and I’m thrilled with the result.”

Chris Wormell adds: “Twenty years ago, my twelve-year-old son recommended a book he’d just finished reading.  It was called Northern Lights.  I loved it.  My whole family loved it, and the two further volumes of the trilogy that followed.  One of the first things my younger daughter – then eight – saw on the stage was the National Theatre’s production of His Dark Materials.  She was spellbound.  She’s loved live theatre ever since.

“It’s been wonderful to work with an author my family has enjoyed so much.  Indeed, my older daughter commented, “Wow, Dad!  Isn’t that one of the coolest jobs you’ve ever done?”

Recently, Philip Pullman said of the title: “Who or what is La Belle Sauvage? She is a boat, a canoe to be precise, and her owner is a boy, Malcolm Polstead, the hero of this story whom we have seen in an earlier part of Lyra’s story. The canoe is important in this part of The Book of Dust, because some of the story is set during a massive flood.”

Chris Wormell illustrated the first extract from La Belle Sauvage, which appeared in the Guardian in May 2017, revealing a baby Lyra, Malcolm and his canoe and the return of Lord Asriel, Lyra’s father, and his dæmon Stelmaria.

Wormell is an award-winning British illustrator and print-maker, specialising in wood engraving and linocut techniques.  He has written and illustrated his own children’s books and was responsible for the iconic cover of Helen Macdonald’s Costa Book Award-winning memoir, H is For Hawk. 

Two decades after Northern Lights (1995) (The Golden Compass in the US) — the first book of Pullman’s world-famous His Dark Materials trilogy, which has sold more than 17.5 million copies in over 40 languages — La Belle Sauvage will return to the parallel world that has enthralled readers young and old. It is set 10 years before Northern Lights and centers on the much-beloved Lyra Belacqua. Alethiometers, daemons, and the Magisterium all return to play their part.

When its publication date was announced in February, Waterstones MD James Daunt commented in The Bookseller: “It will be another queues at midnight book.” About His Dark Materials,Daunt added: “[His Dark Materials] introduces people to reading and cements their love of books. People go back to them again and again. They are hugely important and seminal.”

David Fickling – Pullman’s long-term editor – commented: “There is a mystery here, an exciting mystery and I urge any reader to set out on the adventure. You will not be disappointed. The Book of Dust is magnificent.”

Filed Under: Blog, Books Tagged With: design, illustrator, jacket, woodcut

Puffin Classic Titles Redesigned in Plain Pantone Covers

June 21, 2017 By achuka Leave a Comment

You’ve seen it in cosmetics, Starbucks coffee cups, and even hospital scrubs, and now Pantone mania has infiltrated the children’s book section.
A series of literary classics cloaked in stark, plain covers are designed to look like the color-standard company’s iconic color-specification chips. Published by Puffin Books this month, the set is touted as an alternative to illustrated book covers that young readers have come to expect.

The project is the brainchild of graphic designer Danielle Calotta, who used a process of free association to come up with the color for each title. Some choices were obvious: green for Anne of Green Gables; black for Black Beauty; metallic gold for A Christmas Carol. Others titles were harder, like The Wizard of Oz, which is covered in a sunny yellow hue. “Some people don’t know that her [Dorothy’s] original shoes [in the book] were silver, but a lot of people know her ruby red shoes. Then there’s also Emerald City, but inevitably, we settled with the yellow brick road,” explains Calotta.

via Pantone colors have come to classic children’s books like “The Wizard of Oz” and “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” — Quartz.

Filed Under: Blog, Books Tagged With: cover, design, jacket

Jane Foster Illustrator Feature

May 25, 2017 By achuka Leave a Comment

If you love Instagram as much as we do, then you’ll undoubtedly be following Jane Foster – an illustrator, author and textile designer living in Devon, known for her bright, retro and Scandinavian inspired children’s books, wall art, mugs and other products.

Full of charm and creativity, Jane’s Instagram feed paints an idyllic life by the sea; you often see her dressed in the brightest of colours, enjoying walks on the beach with her family. And her home matches her work, with bold hues dotted throughout, against an appealing white backdrop. She even has her own studio in the garden. 

We spoke to Jane about her creative life, inspirations and how she manages to make her Devon-based business a success.

for the interview > http://www.creativeboom.com/features/jane-foster/

Filed Under: Blog, Books Tagged With: design, freelance, illustrator, interview

Walker Books launches Studio imprint

April 3, 2016 By achuka Leave a Comment

Walker Books is to launch Walker Studio, an imprint that will produce “books for book-lovers”.

The ethos behind the imprint is engaging design, high-quality illustration and superior production values. It will feature books by the company’s current authors and illustrators as well as debut artists and books in translation.

“We hope that even from across a bookstore, these titles will entice book-lovers of all ages to come close – and that in the hand, the books will offer tactile appeal, fascinating content, and beautiful images that linger with the reader.  The exciting opportunity now is to bring these one-of-a-kind books together under a shared umbrella,” said Karen Lotz, m.d. of the Walker Group. “This imprint will be an expression of our love for the printed book.”

The imprint will launch this autumn with four titles: The Singing Bones by Shaun Tan (published with a foreword by Neil Gaiman), out in September, priced at £15; Animals by Ingela Arrhenius (September, £14.99); A World Of Information by James Brown and Richard Pitt (October, £14.99); and An Artist’s Message by Norman Messenger (October, £14.99).

via Walker Books launches Studio imprint | The Bookseller.

Filed Under: Blog, Books Tagged With: art, design, studio

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