You're a Horrible Person, But I Like You
Designer: Christopher King
Publisher: Vintage
Typeface: Clarendon
Art Director: John Gall
Beautiful cover. Thanks for participating Christopher!
—Charles Brock
How did you become a book cover designer?
Since I'm a librarian's kid and I grew up surrounded with books, sometimes it seems like it was fated to be. But I really discovered my own love for literature when I went off to school, where I studied English along with my concentration in graphic design. Although the notion of working in publishing had been knocking around in my brain for a while, it wasn't until I was, improbably, asked to intern with Rodrigo Corral that the idea firmly took root and I decided to devote myself to it. The incredible work that was coming out of the studio while I was there—not only from Rodrigo, who'd designed several of my favorite books, but also from some of the other great talents working in design today, Jason Ramirez, Chris Brand, and Ben Wiseman—it was a huge inspiration, and they all still make me feel like giving up on a regular basis.
What is the book's audience?
This was a fun project for any number of reasons, not least of which was John's smart direction, but I was especially excited to work on it because it meant appealing to the readers of The Believer magazine—people who like their highbrow literary criticism mixed with a healthy dose of comics and boner jokes. The book is a collection of articles from Sedaratives, a sort of twisted advice column created by Amy Sedaris and written by an array of the world's funniest performers, writers and comedians. Even the title is brilliant, and one of the greatest challenges was to create a cover that amplified its meaning without merely illustrating it. I saw a great opportunity to do something cerebral, a cover that didn't have to be quite so direct and immediate.
Was there a clear working process that led to the final?
The process was pretty smooth from start to finish, and was mainly about finding the right tone for the cover to match the humor of the book. Looking back on my initial sketches, several of my ideas were either too complicated and obscure or too simple and straightforward, and it took a little time to find the right balance. I was most enthusiastic about the idea of a hand holding out a bouquet of dead roses. We were on a tight schedule, and I spent much of an anxious Saturday trying to find dead flowers, much to the horror of the florists in my neighborhood. I finally found the perfect bunch of dried roses at a Michael's outlet in Queens, quickly shot a mock-up of the cover, and added lettering to finish it out. Although I still like this idea, in the end I think it was too straightforward an illustration of the title—it didn't add anything new—and it wouldn't appeal aesthetically to people who read the magazine.
John saw potential in the banana cover, but the joke was too obscure. I'd intended it as a winking allusion to a particular column by Martha Plimpton offering advice for women who want to attract men (the book's title comes from the same column), but no one was making the connection, and on reflection I realized I didn't totally get the joke I was making either. John asked me to rethink this layout with a new image, and after a couple days spent hitting my head against the wall trying to shake something loose, at the last minute I hit on the idea of a rag soaked in chloroform. Not having any handy, I drew up a quick two-color treatment and sent it off with fingers crossed. Miraculously, this version clicked with everyone at The Believer and the cover made it through with just a few tweaks to the type. I still can't exactly explain why the gag works, but I think there's a push and pull between the title and illustration, each transforming the other's meaning, that gives the cover depth.
Of course, any cover is a collaborative effort and I can't take all the credit—I'm greatly indebted to John Gall (a real American hero!) and everyone at Vintage, as well the brilliant people at The Believer, for getting behind this idea and seeing it through. I loved working on this project and I can only hope my cover does justice to the writing inside.
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