Designer: Thomas Ng
Publisher: Near Fine Press (Spoonbill & Sugartown)
Typefaces: Jezzebel, Archer, handlettering, and scans from an old German type book (owner's collection).
Specials: Matte lamination. Flood varnish throughout the interior to hold the PMS violet.
Photo Direction: Mark Dye
Contributing Photography: Dan Torop, Spoonbill Staff
Illustrations: Susan Wilmarth, Griffin Waldau
Writers: Spoonbill staff
Available at: Spoonbill & Sugartown (Brooklyn), The New Museum (NYC)
It's not often we can get a glimpse into the process of an entire book. Covers, yes, but designers seem to rarely have the opportunity to project their vision to the interior as well. Thomas did a great job with this project.
— Nate Salciccioli
I gather that you work at Simon and Schuster. Do you have any unique challenges / advantages by working in-house?
It's nice to see a large body of work all grouped in different ways: by imprint, by list (season). Also I get to work with and watch talented people make amazing stuff. I'm just constantly impressed. And seeing designs go through the approval process. It's never the same and you never know what it's going to look like in the end.
How did you begin specializing in book covers?
I went: Books → FashionBooks → FashionHere → ThenFashionHere → BacktoBooks. It was a long round trip, but I'm glad to be back. I missed being conceptual.
Did you work in other areas of design before publishing?
Yes. I tried everything.
What’s a typical day at the office like?
Work, work, work, work, work. Find out what Lady Gaga is wearing. Work, work, work, work, work. j/k. I dunno. It really depends.
What’s your favorite kind of book project?
Anything that allows me to experiment.
What’s the background for This is My Book, This is Your Book?
Spoonbill & Sugartown is a lovely bookstore in Williamsburg. Two cats live there: Rainer and Hayes. They have a great selection and everyone that works there is really smart. They also have a chair with a rounded plushy top that you can't really sit on. I keep trying to sit on it though.
Did Spoonbill approach you, or is this an idea you presented to them?
Spoonbill has always been my favorite bookstore and I emailed them at the right time. They were looking for a designer for their 10 year anniversary book (I jumped for joy). Jonas Kyle (one of the owners), knew he wanted to photograph customers while they held up a book (they had to buy the book first). He also had a short piece of fiction that he'd been meaning to publish. At some point, I recognized this as an opportunity for the entire staff to be involved, to make an anthology—booksellers became authors. It was pretty cool to see the transformation of staffers donning their new role.
{It seems you had quite a bit of creative license in the design...is this true?
Somewhat. I tried to go edgy at first, which the client couldn't understand. Then it went classic. Everything had to be well defended, conceptually founded, and feel right. As it neared the end, we started to introduce more warm and culturally-rich elements like the handlettering and historic typography.
Did this project have any unique struggles?
Yes. We had 12 contributors (photographers, writers, illustrators). Trying to keep everyone happy and keep the ship moving forward was a challenge.
Were there any solutions outside the final you’d like to share?
Fay Ryu did these great little pencil sketches for the first round of 'cat' concepts. The client felt that they looked too New Yorker, so sadly they had to go. Also here is an illustration from Griffin Waldau (I wish it could have been bigger in the book). And more killed illustrations by Susan Wilmarth for the cover. Really beautiful. I hope she uses them somewhere, we were working down to the wire on these. I can't thank her enough.
What is the message behind the design?
We weren't trying to say something as much as deliver an experience.
1. The book is an inspired object - inspired by the spoonbill's 10th anniversary.
2. It's a commemorative experience - taking pictures of book-loving customers, (or as many as we could capture in a week).
3. an authoring opportunity for the staff, also for them to take pictures of the customers themselves.
4. In the making of the book, we realized there were two forces at play. One was the need to acknowledge customers as part of the Spoonbill's existence, and the other was to look at how each staff person influences the bookstore. They influence book curating decisions, music, events that would occur, decide what sorts of odd things lived in the store (literally two cats live there: Rainer & Hayes).
5. Quentin Rowan (another owner) came up with the title: "This is My Book. This is Your Book." I thought it was perfect. To me it implied, 'this is my story ... and it is also your story.' I decided that a perspective shift was in order, so the title is read half right-side up and half upside-down, requiring the reader to turn the book around to complete the idea.
The interior is also told in two parts.
What would you say makes this an effective design?
I think it captures the spirit of the Spoonbill. It has a warm touch, it's intelligent, underspoken, and also gives a small moment of book-buying life.
What’s something unique you learned while working on this project?
Many things.
1. Being responsible for selling something at $20 changes everything.
2. Design becomes less of a worry when you wear a lot more hats.
3. Deadline is king.
4. Using the words "team player" can be helpful.
7. Flood varnishing an entire 128 page book gives it a very strong smell.
8. Treat everyone well, so they will be happy to work with you again.
2.3.10 // Catherine Casalino said:
Thomas kindly sent me a copy of this book and it's wonderful. You really get the feel of a local bookstore. The portraits of the customers are my favorite part.
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2.3.10 // Jennifer Heuer said:
Great job Thomas! The whole book is well done, but most of all, I love the hand-lettering you created for this, inside and out. Spoonbill is one of my favorite book stores in the city and this is a lovely anniversary piece for them.