Chip Kidd: Book One -- Work: 1986-2006 by Chip Kidd

When I saw Chip Kidd: Book One in the Rizzoli catalog, I knew I had to own this book. The publisher’s description reads:

"Described as the closest thing to a rock star in graphic design today (USA Today), Chip Kidd is universally recognized as an American master of contemporary book design. At the forefront of a revolution in publishing, Kidd's iconic covers, with their inventive marriage of type and found images, have influenced an entire generation of design practitioners in many fields.

Chip Kidd: Book One collects all of his book covers and designs for the first time, as well as hundreds of developmental sketches and concepts — annotated by Kidd and by many of the best-selling authors he's worked with over the years. The result is an important contribution to the design canon today as well as a visually dazzling (and often hilarious) insider's look at the design and publishing process. The book also showcases Kidd's work with comics and graphic novels, including his collaborations with leading artists and writers in the field. Featured are projects for DC Comics, including Batman and Superman, as well as Kidd's award-winning exploration of the art of Charles M. Schulz. Chip Kidd: Book One is sure to enthrall design aficionados, book lovers, pop-culture fanatics, comics fans, and design students."

I have not always been a rabid fan of Chip Kidd’s, but for as long as I can remember, I have always based my reading choices and literary expectations on the visual and tactile impressions a book made upon me. In short, I judge books by their covers.

This is no joke. It’s an almost clinical problem. My friends may recommend the greatest works of literature, but if I don’t like the cover, or if the volume is in bad shape, I don’t enjoy the book. I have also been known to buy books because I liked the title or the feel of the matte coating on the cover. The trade paperback is the best thing that ever happened to me.

After many years of admiring and collecting books with great covers, I began to realize that many of the covers were designed by the same person: Chip Kidd. I started checking the designer of all the books I read, and I saw his name appear again and again.

It’s probably no coincidence that I enjoy modern art, modern literature, and Chip Kidd’s work. In fact, many of the books I’ve written about already were designed by Kidd, including Murakami’s book covers in the American market. I think this might explain my Murakami obsession…

I have read every word of the first half of Chip Kidd: Book One so far, and have flipped through the rest to look at the pictures. Just seeing the covers reproduced in this weighty coffee-table book gives me such pleasure, but I also love the anecdotes and secondary materials that Kidd includes with each cover.

What I could not believe was the sheer quantity of bestselling books Kidd has designed the covers for. This guy is what, 40 years old? Here is a very short list of Kidd-designed covers for some bestselling books that anyone who hangs out in bookstores is sure to picture in their mind just from reading the titles.

Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton
Me: Stories of My Life by Katherine Hepburn
Magical Thinking by Augusten Burroughs
Naked by David Sedaris
The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje
Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami
Sin City by Frank Miller
The Little Friend by Donna Tart

Chip Kidd: Book One -- Work: 1986-2006 by Chip Kidd

tags: book cover design book reviews graphic artists Chip Kidd