Alvin lustigs book jacket designs part 1 on behance. Steven heller is a contributing writer for the atlantic, the cochair of the mfa design program at the school of visual arts. I the most consequential book on dustjackets is the most recent, ned drew and paul sternbergers by its cover. Back in 2006, i had been asked to get in touch with the estate regarding his jacket designs for new directions. There are entries on kerning, the wisdom of using only lowercase letters, and the merits of univers. See more ideas about alvin lustig, book design and book cover design. It is obvious that the series of jacket designs which alvin lustig has made for my new classics books is a constant pleasure to the eye. Cover by alvin lustig alvin lustig was an innovative pioneer in developing american graphic design during the and lustigs early work in the late reflects his training with frank lloyd wright. Get the best deals on alvin lustig when you shop the largest online selection at. See more ideas about book design, book jacket and book cover design. Dec 18, 2017 a colorful history of judging books by their covers by ernest. His style is very expressive, rich in texture and playful. Dust jacket illustration, which came into its own in the 1920s, has long deserved. See more ideas about alvin lustig, book design and graphic design.
I hope too that the secondary aim, that of projecting a series of public symbols of higher than usual standards, was also achieved. Alvin lustig 19151955, elaine lustig cohen 19272016. Etsy is the home to thousands of handmade, vintage, and oneofakind products and gifts related to your search. Not only did she pick up where her late husband, alvin lustig, left off after his passing at just 40 years old, but she blazed her own trail in a maledominated world of modern design, navigating all the prejudices that went with it. Nov 01, 2008 its graphic, abstract covers were touched by dada, writes travers in his introduction, and the magazines logo, it was recently learned, was designed by alvin lustig, famed for his new directions book jackets. Her over 150 designs for book covers and museum catalogs, many of which are. Alvin lustig february 8, 1915 december 5, 1955 was an american book designer, graphic designer and typeface designer. Revolutionizing the approach to book cover design in the 1940s, lustig would attempt to get a sense of the writers direction from reading the book and then translate it into his own graphic style the previous trend was to summarize the book with one image.
I often wish that lustig had chosen to be a painter. Alvin lustig was the original design strategist petrolicious. The book jacket designs of alvin lustig graphic design archives chapbook 9781933360485. Alvin lustig s contributions to the design of books and book jackets, magazines, interiors, and textiles as well as his teachings would have made him a credible candidate for the aiga lifetime achievement award when he was alive. Dustjacket book cover illustration, which came into its own in the 1920s, has long.
Included are books, architecture, interiors, ads, identity and print. The golden age of the illustrated book dust jacket. Jul 23, 2009 tucked in the history of new directions book designers, book ended by alvin lustig on one side and rodrigo corral on the other, are four jacket designs by none other the legendary artist andy warhol. Rarely is the graphic designer given the chance to act upon what he considers his highest level upon a problem of serious intentions. He also illustrated over a dozen children books, book jackets and record covers. Todays book jacket designs featuring abstract ideas, minimal text, and realistic illustrations can be traced directly to american designer alvin lustig s mediumbreaking cover for the 1949 paperback lorca. Alvin lustig s restless curiosity during his short life was employed across many areas of art and design. From the book jackets of alvin lustig by james laughlin, print magazine, octnov 1956. These started in 1939 when he met publisher james laughlin, they became good friends and lustig designed dozens of covers through the forties and fifties for laughlins imprints, fiftyfour, in color, are included in the book with six covers for other publishers. Our research indicated the difficulty in accessing 1 public, educational, professional, easy to use and welldesigned source of online reference material celebrating alvin lustig, his career and his depth of work. The book jacket designs of alvin lustig by ned drew 20100901 ned drew. I first met the artist and designer elaine lustig cohen through the website dedicated to her former husband, the legendary designer alvin lustig.
His career highlights include numerous book jackets for new directions and noonday press. A colorful history of judging books by their covers the. Penguin classics book covers designed and hand embroidered by jillian tamaki cover love book cover design alvin lustig book cover action. Legends like chip kidd, paula scher, sarah wyman whitman and alvin lustig have all made their marks on book jackets through the years. There is a designer and title index, someting that was sadly missing from the great american. The alvin lustig archive includes over 400 designs from this important modern american design pioneer. Alvin lustig 19151955 changed the look of book jackets in the mid 40s through his. The cover, which i remember vividly, had a photo collage of a serpent emerging from battle fatigues worn by americas commanding general in vietnam, william westmoreland. Alvin lustig, modern american design pioneer about this site. The book jacket designs of alvin lustig is a colorful and wellresearched representation of lustig s book cover designs that were created primarily for new directions books and noonday press, among others. A conversation with charlotte strick, book jacket designer.
Lustig, alvin, notes for pw on jackets in alvin lustig papers, 19351955, archives of american art, smithsonian institution, washington, d. Alvin lustig, modern american design pioneer identity. The first jacket which lustig did for a new directions book the one for the 1941 edition of henry millers wisdom of the heart was quite unlike anything then in. Alvin lustig, modern american design pioneer books. Alvin lustig, illustrations from the ghost in the underblows, published in. Alvin lustig, for whom ivan chermayeff had worked as an assistant. The back of the book has a portfolio of six designers including my favorites, alvin lustig and paul rand. Alvin lustig gets an impressive eightyeight page look at his book jackets for new directions. The prodigious crossdisciplinary work he producedfrom book jackets to a. A student of frank lloyd wright, among others, alvin lustig had a very successful career in graphic design and art direction. See more ideas about book cover design, cover design and alvin lustig. Elaine lustig cohens world wide web print magazine.
Lustig has been honored by the american institute of graphic arts and the art directors club hall of fame for his significant contributions to american design. Lustig immersed himself in all aspects of design, including architecture. See more ideas about alvin lustig, book cover, book jacket. As a freelancer, odd jobs designing book jackets were always st. I had high hopes of learning much more about the work, the man behind it, and. A streetcar named desire, with modernprimitivist art by alvin lustig. Alvin lustig was an american book designer, graphic designer and typeface designer. Alvin lustig s contributions to the design of books and book jackets, magazines, interiors, and textiles as well as his teachings would have made him a credible candidate for the aiga nobrashfestivity.
There is nothing in the book world today which compares with them for color, for variety, for life, for appeal to the intelligence. These directors create characters that transform only microscopically, which i find very exciting, perhaps because i enjoy minimalism. With his first book for new directions, alvin lustig began a partnership that would revolutionize the art of book cover design. Such a symbol is a matter of distillation, a reduction of the book to its simplest terms of mood or idea. Mike leigh, alexander payne, and woody allen movies for their focus on the psychologies of characters. Part of a big find this afternoon of several early alvin. The first jacket which lustig did for a new directions book the one for the 1941 edition of henry millers. The missing person by franz kafka, the schocken kafka library edition, cover design. Please practice handwashing and social distancing, and. Dec 12, 2015 his playful book covers caught my attention and spoke to me of an element that is perhaps missing in my own studio work. I had stumbled upon one of the first issues at a newsstand. We are cautioned to avoid judging a book by its cover, yet that is precisely what publishers hope we will do. The life and design of alvin lustig due out for release later this year.
Over the centuries, book jackets have changed with the times, modernism to postmodernism, drawings and illustrations to photographs and digital mastery. Alvin lustigs book jacket designs part 3 on behance. Dec 22, 2017 we are cautioned to avoid judging a book by its cover, yet that is precisely what publishers hope we will do. Book cover, bookjacket by alvin lustig for exiles by james joyce, new directions books, 1947 lithography in green and black ink on offwhite shiny wove. In contrast the covers in jackets required are bursting with creativity, the chapter on nonfiction has some particularly striking designs. Each new classics book jacket lustig created had its own unique character. This book was wrapped in a black and white montage of five symbolic photographs and would go on to change the american publishing industry. Alvin lustig alvin lustig, studio interior, design. How jews designed the modern american home the atlantic. His book jackets for new directions spoke to me in the way intriguing album artwork did. See more ideas about alvin lustig, book jacket and graphic design. Now, the avid reader is an art director for a branding agency.
Steven heller has been working with elaine lustig cohen on an upcoming title from chronicle books born modern. Room interiors, alvin lustig, music, talking with friends. Aug 20, 2015 new directions is a series of small sculptures by mexican artist edgar orlaineta. Alvin lustig, george salter, milton glaser, seymour chwast, george. Gazing at the bold and colorful use of art and typography in each cover, i found myself wanting to read all of the books in the collection. Alvin lustig, revolutionary book jacket designer and recipient of a 1993 aiga medal, models how personal vision wedded to modern form can significantly impact the public sphere. His dust jackets were minimal distillations of the spirit of a book s contents, with. His method was to read a text and get the feel of the authors creative drive, then to restate it in his own graphic terms, wrote james laughlin in the book jackets of alvin lustig print, vol. Some of the works that feature lustig s artwork include, orpheus descending, cat on a hot tin roof. New book is a colorful history of judging a book by its cover.
For his valuable contribution to graphic design two of the most prestigious american art clubs honored him with the accolades. It was not until i got an interview at knopf that i started actually looking at book jackets. As publisher of new directions, laughlin hired lustig in the early 1940s and gave him the latitude to experiment with personal graphic forms. Alvin lustigs contributions to the design of books and book jackets. How to take care of a really cool book jacket by poetry. No barcode page 27 a blog about vintage modern design. Images and symbols were combined with a surreal sense of. Since its a short week i thought i would take the chance to show some books i picked up while traveling this year. The book covers he created for the new classic series for new directions in the 40s. One of the most inventive though least remembered contemporary advertising designers was alvin lustig. Steven heller and elaine lustig cohens born modern. Mar 11, 2011 a conversation with charlotte strick, book jacket designer.
By the time he died at the age of forty in 1955, he had already introduced principles of continue reading. By the time he died at the age of forty in 1955, he had already introduced principles. Please practice handwashing and social distancing, and check out our resources for adapting to these times. New directions publishing published several of tennessee williams plays and lustig was the one who designed the book jackets for the first edition of williams work. Book cover, bookjacket by alvin lustig for the wanderer by alain fournier, new directions books, book cover from 2004 books with alvin lustig dust jackets calligraphy alphabet by twentysixletters street art utopia this cover for the wanderer, designed by alvin lustig, is a great example of a simple and bold pattern. Books from my travels this week we are showing something a bit different. But mostly its a book about the soft stuff the stuff that we deal with every day and tend to take for granted. Alvin lustig s book covers i was killing some time in south congress books the other day and the clerk showed me some original new directions books with these alvin lustig covers and they really.
Sean adams is the chair of the undergraduate and graduate graphic design program at artcenter, founder of burning settlers cabin studio, and onscreen author for linkedin learning he is the only two term aiga national president in aigas 100 year history. Yep, andy warhol worked for new directions as a book designer off and on for almost 10 years. Elaine lustig cohen, wife of alvin lustig, is a book and jacket designer and artist. See more ideas about book cover design, best book covers, book design. There is disagreement too about whether a jacket is really an integral part of a book or a mere ephemeral addon. Alvin lustig, revolutionary book jacket designer and recipient of a 1993 aiga medal. Alvin lustig, modern american design pioneer about alvin. See more ideas about alvin lustig, graphic design and book design. Alvin lustigs contributions to the design of books and book jackets, magazines, interiors, and textiles as well as his teachings would have made him a credible candidate for the aiga lifetime achievement award when he was alive. Alvin lustig, modern american design pioneer the book jackets of. No matter what youre looking for or where you are in the world, our global marketplace of sellers can help you find unique and affordable options. I decided to research lustigs work in the form of a blog post.
Ten graphic design paradoxes ive just finished writing a book about graphic design. Celebrated then as he is now for his strikingly modern book and book jacket designs as well as for his signage and interior design, today he is barely recognized for his contributions to progressive advertising. Johnsons design can be seen as conversation with lustigs, and as an extension. The opportunity to design this series of book jackets was an unusual one. Alvin lustig, 1946 all book covers for new directions, unless otherwise noted. The alvin lustig collection was donated to rit in 1986 by his widow, elaine lustig cohen. Solutions grew out of the needs of the client, and design problems were characterized by inventive and symbolic manipulation of imagery and forms, including letterforms and typography. See more ideas about alvin lustig, book design, book cover design. Dec 30, 2017 new book is a colorful history of judging a book by its cover. Cover design by alvin lustig, book cover, the man who died, d.
Alvin lustig believed in the power of design when applied to all aspects of life. Celebrated then as he is now for his strikingly modern book and book jacket designs as well as for his signage and interior design, today he is barely recognized for. If you are going to reissue a kafka book above with an iconic alvin lustig cover below, you best get a heavyweight like peter mendelsund to tackle it. Joseph low was an illustrator who made cover illustrations for the new yorker and is mostly know from the awards of his book mice twice. Alvin lustig was a renowned twentieth century graphic designer. Having only recently been exposed to the work of alvin lustig i was very excited to. Charles rosnerthe growth of the book jacket 19541st ed, alvin lustig jacket. Dustjackets, dealers, and documentation 47 jackets constitute one of the most significant classes of printed ephemera and a basic category of evidence for publishing history. Alvin lustig, modern american design pioneer 19151955. The mafia, book cover funky little type design experiment elaine lustig book cover by bobby mckenna vladimir nabokov lolita 23 books you didnt read in high school but actually should nice layout rnrnsource by ninapeyrachon see more.
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