Now, the avid reader is an art director for a branding agency. See more ideas about alvin lustig, graphic design and book design. The book covers he created for the new classic series for new directions in the 40s. Having only recently been exposed to the work of alvin lustig i was very excited to.
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, alvin, notes for pw on jackets in alvin lustig papers, 19351955, archives of american art, smithsonian institution, washington, d. Alvin lustig, revolutionary book jacket designer and recipient of a 1993 aiga medal. The alvin lustig collection was donated to rit in 1986 by his widow, elaine lustig cohen. Dust jacket illustration, which came into its own in the 1920s, has long deserved. 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. 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. Legends like chip kidd, paula scher, sarah wyman whitman and alvin lustig have all made their marks on book jackets through the years. See more ideas about alvin lustig, book jacket and graphic design. Books from my travels this week we are showing something a bit different. 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. See more ideas about alvin lustig, book design, book cover design. No barcode page 27 a blog about vintage modern design. Johnsons design can be seen as conversation with lustigs, and as an extension.
This book was wrapped in a black and white montage of five symbolic photographs and would go on to change the american publishing industry. Included are books, architecture, interiors, ads, identity and print. 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, 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. 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. Some of the works that feature lustig s artwork include, orpheus descending, cat on a hot tin roof. 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. As a freelancer, odd jobs designing book jackets were always st. Elaine lustig cohen, wife of alvin lustig, is a book and jacket designer and artist. Each new classics book jacket lustig created had its own unique character. A student of frank lloyd wright, among others, alvin lustig had a very successful career in graphic design and art direction. It was not until i got an interview at knopf that i started actually looking at book jackets. Part of a big find this afternoon of several early alvin.
Alvin lustigs book jacket designs part 3 on behance. We are cautioned to avoid judging a book by its cover, yet that is precisely what publishers hope we will do. Elaine lustig cohens world wide web print magazine. See more ideas about book cover design, cover design and alvin lustig. The life and design of alvin lustig due out for release later this year. His style is very expressive, rich in texture and playful. See more ideas about alvin lustig, book cover, book jacket. Dec 30, 2017 new book is a colorful history of judging a book by its cover. 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.
I hope too that the secondary aim, that of projecting a series of public symbols of higher than usual standards, was also achieved. Alvin lustigs book jacket designs part 1 on behance. How to take care of a really cool book jacket by poetry. The book jacket designs of alvin lustig by ned drew 20100901 ned drew. Alvin lustig, modern american design pioneer 19151955. I first met the artist and designer elaine lustig cohen through the website dedicated to her former husband, the legendary designer alvin lustig. 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. In contrast the covers in jackets required are bursting with creativity, the chapter on nonfiction has some particularly striking designs.
The first jacket which lustig did for a new directions book the one for the 1941 edition of henry millers. These directors create characters that transform only microscopically, which i find very exciting, perhaps because i enjoy minimalism. Alvin lustig, 1946 all book covers for new directions, unless otherwise noted. Please practice handwashing and social distancing, and. 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. There is disagreement too about whether a jacket is really an integral part of a book or a mere ephemeral addon. Penguin classics book covers designed and hand embroidered by jillian tamaki cover love book cover design alvin lustig book cover action.
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. One of the most inventive though least remembered contemporary advertising designers was alvin lustig. The book jackets of alvin lustig by alvin lustig, paul spencer sternberger and ned drew 2010, paperback at the best online prices at ebay. Dec 18, 2017 a colorful history of judging books by their covers by ernest.
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. New book is a colorful history of judging a book by its cover. 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. The alvin lustig archive includes over 400 designs from this important modern american design pioneer. 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. Mike leigh, alexander payne, and woody allen movies for their focus on the psychologies of characters. The book jacket designs of alvin lustig graphic design archives chapbook 9781933360485. Alvin lustig was a renowned twentieth century graphic designer.
His book jackets for new directions spoke to me in the way intriguing album artwork did. 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. The opportunity to design this series of book jackets was an unusual one. 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. 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. 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. Ten graphic design paradoxes ive just finished writing a book about graphic design. Charles rosnerthe growth of the book jacket 19541st ed, alvin lustig jacket. There is nothing in the book world today which compares with them for color, for variety, for life, for appeal to the intelligence. See more ideas about alvin lustig, book design and book cover design. I had high hopes of learning much more about the work, the man behind it, and. Room interiors, alvin lustig, music, talking with friends. Her over 150 designs for book covers and museum catalogs, many of which are.
Dustjacket book cover illustration, which came into its own in the 1920s, has long. Yep, andy warhol worked for new directions as a book designer off and on for almost 10 years. Images and symbols were combined with a surreal sense of. Such a symbol is a matter of distillation, a reduction of the book to its simplest terms of mood or idea. His dust jackets were minimal distillations of the spirit of a book s contents, with. Alvin lustig, modern american design pioneer books. Alvin lustig, illustrations from the ghost in the underblows, published in.
Alvin lustig, modern american design pioneer identity. Cover design by alvin lustig, book cover, the man who died, d. Alvin lustig s restless curiosity during his short life was employed across many areas of art and design. Alvin lustig, modern american design pioneer the book jackets of. I often wish that lustig had chosen to be a painter.
A colorful history of judging books by their covers the. I decided to research lustigs work in the form of a blog post. Alvin lustig 19151955 changed the look of book jackets in the mid 40s through his. His career highlights include numerous book jackets for new directions and noonday press. Since its a short week i thought i would take the chance to show some books i picked up while traveling this year.
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. 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. The back of the book has a portfolio of six designers including my favorites, alvin lustig and paul rand. 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. Alvin lustig believed in the power of design when applied to all aspects of life. Back in 2006, i had been asked to get in touch with the estate regarding his jacket designs for new directions.
He also illustrated over a dozen children books, book jackets and record covers. Alvin lustigs contributions to the design of books and book jackets. Alvin lustig february 8, 1915 december 5, 1955 was an american book designer, graphic designer and typeface designer. Alvin lustig gets an impressive eightyeight page look at his book jackets for new directions. 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. How jews designed the modern american home the atlantic. Lustig immersed himself in all aspects of design, including architecture. See more ideas about book cover design, best book covers, book design. Aug 20, 2015 new directions is a series of small sculptures by mexican artist edgar orlaineta. There are entries on kerning, the wisdom of using only lowercase letters, and the merits of univers. Etsy is the home to thousands of handmade, vintage, and oneofakind products and gifts related to your search.
The golden age of the illustrated book dust jacket. 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. Alvin lustig was an american book designer, graphic designer and typeface designer. Alvin lustig alvin lustig, studio interior, design. From the book jackets of alvin lustig by james laughlin, print magazine, octnov 1956. The prodigious crossdisciplinary work he producedfrom book jackets to a. Dec 22, 2017 we are cautioned to avoid judging a book by its cover, yet that is precisely what publishers hope we will do. 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. Over the centuries, book jackets have changed with the times, modernism to postmodernism, drawings and illustrations to photographs and digital mastery. Alvin lustig was the original design strategist petrolicious. I the most consequential book on dustjackets is the most recent, ned drew and paul sternbergers by its cover. Steven heller is a contributing writer for the atlantic, the cochair of the mfa design program at the school of visual arts. Get the best deals on alvin lustig when you shop the largest online selection at. Alvin lustig, for whom ivan chermayeff had worked as an assistant.
See more ideas about alvin lustig, book design and graphic design. Alvin lustig, george salter, milton glaser, seymour chwast, george. 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. The missing person by franz kafka, the schocken kafka library edition, cover design.
There is a designer and title index, someting that was sadly missing from the great american. Alvin lustig, modern american design pioneer about alvin. 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. 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. Steven heller and elaine lustig cohens born modern. A streetcar named desire, with modernprimitivist art by alvin lustig. See more ideas about book design, book jacket and book cover design. Rarely is the graphic designer given the chance to act upon what he considers his highest level upon a problem of serious intentions. As publisher of new directions, laughlin hired lustig in the early 1940s and gave him the latitude to experiment with personal graphic forms. Alvin lustig 19151955, elaine lustig cohen 19272016. I had stumbled upon one of the first issues at a newsstand. Please practice handwashing and social distancing, and check out our resources for adapting to these times. 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. Alvin lustig, modern american design pioneer about this site.
Steven heller has been working with elaine lustig cohen on an upcoming title from chronicle books born modern. By the time he died at the age of forty in 1955, he had already introduced principles. 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. 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. By the time he died at the age of forty in 1955, he had already introduced principles of continue reading. 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. With his first book for new directions, alvin lustig began a partnership that would revolutionize the art of book cover design. But mostly its a book about the soft stuff the stuff that we deal with every day and tend to take for granted. 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. For his valuable contribution to graphic design two of the most prestigious american art clubs honored him with the accolades. Mar 11, 2011 a conversation with charlotte strick, book jacket designer.
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