Notes on Book Design

About this book

In a career spanning more than forty years Derek Birdsall has achieved renown as a leading book designer in Britain. This practical and inspirational book distils a lifetimes professional experience. It presents and discusses nearly fifty books he has designed showing 360 spreads and covers all in full color and to scale. The designs range from Penguin paperback covers in the 1960s to a recent complete redesign of The Church of Englands book of Common Worship. Among Birdsalls projects are award-winning art catalogues catalogues raisonn on such major artists as Mark Rothko and Georgia OKeeffe and books on wine chess astronomy architecture and fine paper. Birdsall discusses and illustrates the process of book design from brief to deadline (which he calls the designers muse). He includes specimen settings of his favorite text faces as well as an innovative metric grid system for designing books. In addition he lists books he himself has found useful or inspiring. For every reader curious about the design or production of books this is a uniquely informative and instructive book.