If you enjoy the art of Book Jacket design, or Graphic Design in general, then you owe it to yourself to check out a recent article over at the TIME Magazine Website titled, “The Book Jacket Art of Chip Kidd”. It’s a part of their TIME PHOTO SERIES where they present a small slideshow of images with quotes or information down below the pictures, it’s both educational and fun! They picked 15 Book Covers created by Chip Kidd and they’re pretty interesting to see. I mean, OK the graphics are nice ( not trying to brag, ha ha ) but the really interesting part is reading about the creation of these covers. Some of them are quotes from the Authors & how they felt about the jacket. It’s very thought-provoking. It’s also a bit like “a study of Book Publishing”, if that’s the right way to phrase it. Anyways, I’ll shut-up & let you visit their website so you can see what I mean. Just CLICK HERE! ( Oh Yeah, and Thanks TIME Magazine! )

Blog Reporter Matt Staggs of SUVUDU showed up at the 2012 San Diego Comic Con and did a really great interview with Chip Kidd. They talked about two new releases from Pantheon Books: THE HIVE by Charles Burns and BUILDING STORIES by Chris Ware. They also touched a little bit on Chip Kidd & Dave Taylor’s new DC Comics’ Graphic Novel, BATMAN: DEATH BY DESIGN. Then, the amazing part, he mentioned this website! OK, the new books are way more important but I was happy about the site getting a little bit of hype, ha ha! ( Thanks to Matt Staggs for sharing the Video ).

Just a quick post to share this fun photo Chip Kidd took while taking a break from working at the 2012 San Diego Comic Con. Walking around he ran into some amazing creatures, and then, he saw these TROLLS! Yes, Peter Jackson & company were at the event hyping their new movie, ” THE HOBBIT”, and as a part of their promotional display they had these GIANT statues erected. If you look at the Woman in the photo, for scale, you can easily imagine how HUGE these things really were. They were a total hit, everybody loved them.

Oh man, we’re all so extremely excited!! In about 5 days (July 20th, 2012) Abrams Books will be releasing a brand-new “Batman History” Book right around the time of THE DARK KNIGHT RISES Movie. It’s titled, The Art and Making of The Dark Knight Trilogy. In 2005, director Christopher Nolan redefined the Batman legend with “Batman Begins”, starring Christian Bale as the Caped Crusader. A fresh, dynamic reboot of the franchise, “Batman Begins” explored the comic book hero's origins and his evolution from Billionaire Bruce Wayne to Dark Avenger who fights crime and corruption in Gotham City. A 2008 sequel, “The Dark Knight”, took those compelling, character-driven foundations and raised the stakes, pitting Batman against a deranged master criminal, the Joker, in an all-out war for Gotham's soul. Now, the final film of Nolan's trilogy, “The Dark Knight Rises”, is 2012's most anticipated film release.

The Art and Making of The Dark Knight Trilogy tells the complete behind-the-scenes story of these three monumental films. Based on in-depth interviews with Christopher Nolan and all of the films' key cast and crew including: Co-Writers David S. Goyer and Jonathan Nolan, Cinematographer Wally Pfister, and more! The book reveals the creative process behind the epic Dark Knight Trilogy, supported by lavish art and never-before-seen photography.

The Authors who wrote the book are Jody Duncan Jesser and Janine Pourroy. There is also an Introduction written by Michael Caine (Actor who plays Alfred The Butler), a Foreword written by Christopher Nolan, and the book was designed by Chip Kidd (Designer).

OK, We’re sharing a fun photo here from the 2012 San Diego Comic Con event that Chip Kidd is scheduled to be at all weekend ( Please see our NEXT APPEARANCES page for more information ). While there yesterday Chip met the Artist Dave McKean and the main thing he had to say about him was, “Wotta sweetheart!” Of course this is the guy who is a legendary Graphic Artist! Some of his best known work is the amazing Book Covers for Neil Gaiman’s Sandman ( Vertigo ) and Batman’s Arkham Asylum ( DC Comics ). Speaking of Gaiman, Dave McKean also did the illustrations for Coraline (2002) and The Graveyard Book (2008), among others. Actually, he’s done way too many cool things to list here, ha! So, if you want to see more great art from this guy then just please be sure to visit his personal website & blog, CLICK HERE!

Here’s a fun wacky photo from the recent 2012 San Diego Comic Con event. Chip Kidd said he was honored to meet “Ramona Flowers”, a Character from the “Scott Pilgrim vs The Universe” Graphic Novel by Bryan Lee O’Malley. Actually it’s a real-life person named Ari Wells who is a Graphic Designer in San Diego, CA. She was kind enough to pose for this picture. Also, her Cosplay Costume is pretty SWEET! Check out the reference down below.

Here’s a quick post to share a few more photos Chip Kidd took at the current SDCC event. He was very proud and honored to meet TED, the Teddy Bear Character/Actor from the recent comedy movie starring Seth MacFarlane and Mark Wahlberg. Then, the next pic is what Chip said was the Promotional Tote Bag that deserves the “Best Tote Bag Award of 2012 SDCC”! It was created by Last Kiss, Inc. and, I gotta admit, it is very clever & funny!

This post is to spread the news about a recent Book Review for BATMAN: DEATH BY DESIGN that was published at the BLUEPRINT Website. BLUEPRINT is the leading authority on Architecture and Design in the UK so it’s really an honor. I mean, this Batman Graphic Novel shares a deep focus on “Architectural Issues”, so it’s pretty cool that a publication like this would do a write-up about a “comic book”. The article/Book Review was written by a Reporter named Patrick Myles and it’s very well thought out. So, please give it a quick read soon, you’ll enjoy it. (Click on the magazine name up above as a LINK)

This is just a quick post to remind Book Fans that Chip Kidd and other Pantheon Authors will be at SAN DIEGO COMIC CON this weekend. Actually, the show runs from Thursday, July 12th to Sunday, July 15th. Pantheon Publishing will be at BOOTH #1515 ( we included a nice map down below. Don’t worry, the booth is easy to find ) and Chip Kidd will be there most days around 12-noon. Also remember, any time you’re ever wondering where Chip’s next event or lecture will be held just be sure to visit the NEXT APPEARANCE page of this website, Thanks!

Pretty soon you’re gonna need to visit the HACK THE COVER Website because Writer, Designer, and Blogger Craig Mod (@craigmod) has written a very provocative essay on the future of book cover design in the digital age. This is an essay for both Book Lovers and Designers curious about where the cover has been, where it’s going, and what the “ethos of covers” means for digital eBook design.

In it, he explains about the new “function for Book Covers to stop being Salesmen” and how covers are now either regulated to just being an icon image or not even existing at all. He also shares a theory about what all this will mean for over-all book design as well. Another great thing about the article is he gives a nice shout out to a few Knopf Designers: Peter Mendelsund, Cardon Webb and Chip Kidd. Seriously, we can’t gush enough about how wonderful and important this piece is so please be sure to click HERE and check it out!

ALBERT CAMUS Book Cover Designs by Peter Mendelsund

OLIVER SACKS Book Cover Designs by Cardon Webb

HARUKI MURAKAMI Book Jacket Design by Chip Kidd