Bigfoot: The Life and Times of a Legend
Author: Joshua Blu Buhs
Illustrator: Lauren Nassef
Designer: Matt Avery
Art Director: Jill Shimabukuro
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Typefaces: The type for the title "Bigfoot" on the front panel was scanned. Subtitle is handwritten by Megan Avery. Other typefaces used are Belizio, Bodoni Egyptian and Dolly.

I first saw this cover during the judging of this years AAUP and it was was one of my favorites. I kept coming back to it and looking at it over and over again. Lauren's wonderful illustrations really give this book the perfect tone for the subject matter. Thanks to Lauren for sharing and also to Matt Avery for his comments and help.
—Charles Brock

Art Director/Designer Matt Avery on working with Lauren.
When I was assigned to work on Bigfoot I knew the book design had a lot of potential. It seemed that commissioning an original illustration for the jacket would best help us realize some of that potential and I knew Lauren would be the ideal collaborator. We had worked together previously on Abraham Lincoln in the Post-Heroic Era. I knew that if she applied her acuity and wit to Bigfoot that we would have something very special as a result.

We talked about the book and I shared my initial ideas for possible directions though we left it open to other possibilities. Lauren came back with several great sketches and we couldn't have gone wrong with any of them. The Bigfoot boots, though, really captured the essence of the book perfectly. There were only a couple minor adjustments made to Lauren's sketch including making the boots a little scarier (a request from marketing). And happily, we were able to use more of the artwork Lauren had proposed for the jacket. We asked her to finish the fur close-up for the back cover and spine. On the last page of the book one of Lauren's Bigfoot figures exits stage left and disappears into some woody (embossed) end sheets.

Working with Lauren is always rewarding and inspiring. Since Bigfoot we've worked on The Philosophy of Improvisation and Cracking the Einstein Code. Lauren makes designers look smart.


Lauren Nassef
What do you enjoy about your job?
I love everything about my job except for the fact that I have to be responsible for my own productivity. Sometimes I wish I had a scary boss to keep me in line.

What is the book about?
I think that a blurb on the book jacket summarizes it well. It explains that the author focuses on "...understanding why Bigfoot has inspired all this drama and devotion in the first place. What does our fascination with this monster say about our modern relationship to wilderness, individuality, class, consumerism, and the media?"

Can you tell us a little about your process on Bigfoot?
I had a great time working with designer Matt Avery on this book. I've collaborated with him a couple of times now and he always gives me clear but open art direction that is easy to work with.

When he first approached me, he already had a few ideas to get me started. He wanted to try out direct depictions of Bigfoot because it's already such a strong image, but he was also interested in playing with the idea of Bigfoot as a cultural phenomenon. We agreed that my first round of sketches would include both directions.

Matt gave me some amazing interior images from the manuscript, but I went on to assemble one of the biggest image research folders I've ever made for a project. I got addicted to searching for everything from wildmen to yeti, from yowie to the abominable snowman. Here are just a few from both the book and my searches that I have to share because I love them so much:



So after seeing so many photos and posters and drawings etc. of all these creatures, I decided that for me one of the most compelling things about them was the creatures' interactions with the camera or the viewer. The iconic photo of Bigfoot turning to look over his shoulder right into the lens (2nd and last in the set above) is so chilling and exhilarating because you really get the sense that you are catching a glimpse of something you shouldn't be allowed to see. I did several ridiculous sketches before settling on a pretty faithful reproduction of the photo. Here they are in chronological order:



Then I branched out and started thinking about artistic depictions of Bigfoot. I came across several images of huge wood carvings of Bigfoot figures so I tried drawing one that felt like a carving. In the end I didn't submit it because I thought it looked too cartoony, but it was fun to try.



Matt had suggested trying a drawing of someone in a Bigfoot costume. I thought it was a great idea, but had trouble making my drawings look like costumes. After a few sketches I decided to boil the idea down to just an element of the costume itself. My husband Isaac (www.isaactobin.com) suggested that it might make sense to focus on the boots or feet since footprints are such a big part Bigfoot legends. I dropped in a wood scan to finish it up.



Finally, after reading a few small articles about Bigfoot hunters claiming to have found bits of Bigfoot fur, I decided to offer a sketch of fur that would fill the cover.



The first round went really smoothly. The boots were approved on the condition that I make them "scarier". I added color, then we went through a couple of tweaks before settling on the final.

As Matt moved forward with the jacket and interior designs, he decided that he wanted to incorporate the other two sketches that I'd submitted. I was thrilled that he was able to make use of all three.

All in all, the process was super smooth and so much fun. Thanks again Matt for such a great opportunity!}

4.7.10 // Ian said:

I wanna pair of big foot boots. Nassef rocks. That couple rocks. What a team. Matt sealed the deal with the coloring any type. Very cool and fun cover.