Judge This by Chip Kidd
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I’m not always the biggest fan of Chip Kidd’s book covers. Sometimes awesome, but sometimes…
Well, it turns out that sometimes the stories behind the covers are better than the covers. Or maybe it’s that I don’t usually understand what Chip Kidd is referencing with his covers.
Fraud by David Rakoff is a good example. I never really understood that what was being presented was a book with a gratified cover. Now that it was explained, I like it better, but…maybe I’m just dumb. Or maybe it’s not as obvious as Chip Kidd thinks it is.
Also, the cover for Jay Mcinerney’s How It Ended is a mess. The colors are amazing, but it’s a couple pictures stacked on top of each other in a way that I just don’t get.
And I’ll say this. It wasn’t until it was totally explained to me that I knew what the hell was going on with Colorless Tsukuru by Murakami. I didn’t know there was a hand, I didn’t know the different colors represented different characters. I guess it’s interesting to wonder if I’d have gotten it after reading the book, if Murakami is the kind of guy who doesn’t need to sell based on covers so much. But I just wasn’t feeling that one.
Now, all that said, the first half of this book is really interesting, posing objects and art on a scale from instantly recognizable and understandable to confusing and something that leaves the viewer pondering. The first part of the book asks a really good design question: Do I want this design to provide instant recognition and clarity (subway map) or do I want this design to intrigue someone (movie poster).
I think Kidd’s covers tend towards the intriguing angle more often, which I can appreciate, but it’s just not my style.
Anywho, it’s a quick read, and if you’re someone who gives a flying fuck about something like the design of book covers, totally worth your time.