Plague Writing in Early Modern England [comps]

Ernest B. Gilman : University of Chicago Press

This project is still under review. I was asked to provide three different approaches. The first features a painting from inside the book that editorial felt was suitable for the project; the image had to be cropped to fit the trim of the book so I have the bottom showing a detail of the dead and the top showing the angels of salvation. The second cover features a detail from one of the historic flyers contained in the book which were all very graphic and interesting to use. And, the third cover is a stock image of Black Plague skulls -- I overlaid this bleak image with delicate red crosses.

The Sweet Smell of Home

Leonard F. Chana, Susan Lobo, & Barbara Chana :
University of Arizona Press

When the Rains Come

John Alcock : University of Arizona Press

Of Earth and Sea

Marjorie Agosin : University of Arizona Press

Golondrina, why did you leave me?

Barbara Renaud Gonzalez : University of Texas Press

The Family Ranch

Linda Hussa : University of Nevada Press

The photograph was provided by Madelaine Graham Blake and I have learned over the years that when you have a nice photograph the best thing to do is get out of its way.

Child Poverty and Inequality

Duncan Lindsey : Oxford University Press

The publisher provided the image and it was a challenge to marry the seriousness of the subject with the playfulness of the image. Isolating moments by cropping the image seemed to hit the right balance.

Redesigning Social Inquiry

Charles C. Ragin : University of Chicago Press

The author provided the abstract painting. I introduced the circle art to play off the Venn diagram circles within the text. It is a busy cover but seems to suit the subject.

Emma Goldman, Volumes 1 & 2

A Documentary History of the American Years
edited by Candace Falk : University of Illinois Press

The set is being reissued by Illinois in paperback and I hope that the texts find new readers. I was fascinated to learn more about this independent thinker.

Tudor Autobiography

Meredith Anne Skura : University of Chicago Press

Another hand-colored image. This time I used my favorite German watercolor set. The pans are getting so low that I think I will soon treat myself to another one and pass the well-used set onto my kids.

Creative Power [comps]

edited by Micki McGee : Columbia University Press

An interesting volume on the politics and art inside the gates of Yaddo in upstate New York. The book will accompany an exhibit of Yaddo artists. I proposed a more political angle that showed a mock-up of a flag with a detail of the gate to play off the art and politics in the book, but the title needed to be downplayed so I am now working with a more straightforward solution and I used a monochromatic treatment for the title to push is back a bit. Still under review, so we'll see.

UPDATE: The project was ultimately placed with another designer after the title changed and an image change were requested. See the final cover here.

ABCs

I took the summer off last year to travel with my husband and my two kids. While we were away I asked my children to help me find the alphabet in the world around us. We explored Oklahoma, Colorado, Nevada and Oregon together and this is an alphabet created out of the numerous letters we found along the way.

White But Not Equal

Ignacio M. Garcia : University of Arizona Press

I pitched the idea of running the front cover without spelling out "not equal" and letting the symbol suffice, but in the end editorial felt it needed to be reinstated. Then the author asked for me to create a darker skin tone as well as add "dirt" to the hand. I quickly mocked this up, but now the hand is too dark to carry the symbol so I reversed it to white, but I worry the design's strength is getting watered down. I am researching new hand imagery and will likely begin again before this is printed and wrapped around the final book.

Where Clouds Are Formed

Ofelia Zepeda : University of Arizona Press

The image is from one of the poems where a daughter and father are having a talk and they spend time listening to the rain during the the silent breaks in conversation.

A Radiant Curve

Luci Tapahonso : University of Arizona Press

A radiant curve is a rainbow in Navajo mythology, and I wanted to find art that represented a rainbow, but not literally. This dynamic image is by Navajo painter Emmi Whitehorse. I enjoyed reviewing all the Navajo painters for this project. I had not worked on that type of research in several years. Emmi Whitehorse is the first artist I ever located for a Sun Tracks book so it was fun to work with her imagery again and to find this image with all the colors of the rainbow showcased is such a fresh way.

To Be Like Gods

Matthew G. Looper : University of Texas Press

The author supplied the ancient Mayan pottery for the cover. I liked this figure very much. The chosen design was the most simple of the grouping I proposed and while appropriate it would have been fun to see this pushed a bit.

The Best American Magazine Writing 2008

compiled by the American Society of Magazine Editors
and Columbia University Press

Literary Nevada

edited by Cheryll Glotfelty : University of Nevada Press

A tricky project with lots of opinions about design direction. This design is a slight variation from my original proposal and I think the collage works nicely for the collection.

inspirational videos

I found a series of interviews with designers and illustrators today on the hillman curtis website -- here is the link. I found them inspiring.

http://www.hillmancurtis.com/hc_web/film_video.shtml

The Osage Rose

Tom Holm : The University of Arizona Press

A 1930s Tulsa, Oklahoma murder mystery. I researched numerous postcard dealers online until I found a 1930s vintage postcard of Tulsa. The graininess works nicely with this project.

Grace Period

Gerald Haslam : University of Nevada Press

A tragic yet sweet love story where the main character falls in love shortly after discovering he has prostate cancer. He finds solace in quiet prayer and spending time at the river.

Still Here, Still Now

Robert Pack : University of Chicago Press

A nice poetry volume and an interesting challenge to tie in imagery with this title. The butterfly was the author's favorite.

Creating Outdoor Classrooms

Lauri Johnson : University of Texas Press

The author was intent on using the child' architectural rendering and although I proposed a couple solutions that incorporated the art in context with other elements from the textbook, in the end the singular image was chosen.




















An alternate solution utilizing a grid of images that ties into the interior grid. I preferred the color play of this layout.

Contact

Jeffrey McCarthy : University of Nevada Press

This book is a collection of historic and current essays by a variety of writers and climbers. The climber in silhouette is perhaps a bit too obvious but the angles in the image and the strong monochromatic color note are interesting to my eye.

On the Make

David Grazian : The University of Chicago Press

I have had a turquoise and an orange color chip taped in my sketchbook for some time just waiting for the right project. This interesting read on the club scene finally gave me an opportunity. I really like the color tension paired with this image.

The Women's Warrior Society

Lois Beardslee : The University of Arizona Press
Illustrator: Moses Beaver

The SunTracks series is unique because it pairs writers and artists of the same tribal affiliation together on some very interesting collections of prose and poetry. I was senior designer at UAP many moons ago and had the opportunity to work on many SunTracks books during my tenure. I am pleased to still have an opportunity to work on them. The styles vary but the palettes are generally vivid and bright. Fun.

Loving Rachel & Rachel in the World

Jane Bernstein : University of Illinois Press

This project included a reissue and a new follow-up book. The books needed to have their own unique identities as well as a common element that would tie them together. My solution was to pull from the author's archive and create spines that visually shared more of the story.

Brave New West

Jim Stiles : The University of Arizona Press
Illustrator: Jim Stiles; hand-colored by Carrie House

The book is filled with loads of the authors high-contrast drawings. I pulled out my Prismacolors and had a great afternoon creating the final art for the cover.

Touring the Sierra Nevada

Cheryl Koehler : University of Nevada Press

I proposed this funky retro design that stepped outside the typical tour guide genre available along with a couple more traditional layouts; and as luck would have it, the author and publisher chose to package and market the book in a unique way and it has been pleasantly well received. So, you never know!

Doormen

Peter Bearman : University of Chicago Press

The Deceivers

Aviva Briefel : Cornell University Press

A 3-color jacket that I like...

The Best American Magazine Writing series

Columbia University Press & American Society of Magazine Editors

I like this palette of colors. It is a nice contrast to the bright colors chosen for the 2006 edition. However, I wish I had laid out the spine and back cover to better unify the design.

Mind the Gap

John Hay : University of Nevada Press

Swooning Beauty

Joanna Frueh : University of Nevada Press

In the Desert of Desire

William Fox : University of Nevada Press

High-Profile Crimes

Lynn Chancer : University of Chicago Press

Crow's Range

David Beesley : University of Nevada Press

If the Workers Took a Notion

Josiah Bartlett Lambert : Cornell University Press