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July 10, 2009, at 2:31pm.Babies, I’ve been remiss in not writing about my big Newsweek gig, which is still on newsstands through Sunday.
Several months ago, I was contacted by Bonnie Siegler (Newsweek art director and co-genius behind the design firm Number 17, with Emily Oberman) about doing the cover for an issue of Newsweek entirely devoted to books and the publishing industry. Of course I jumped at the chance, and set about creating a book-spines-as-cover scheme, using a picture of someone reading at the beach.
This sold the concept, though a stronger image was wanted. Bonnie’s team found a more graphically interesting image of hands holding a book up, still with a beach background, and it worked much better.
Once this was okayed and shot by photog Craig Cutler, they asked if I’d do a small feature for the inside. They didn’t have to ask twice (!). I suggested an ersatz “best of” for book jackets of the ’00s. I ended up only being able to choose seven (none of my own, of course), though I could have done a lot more.
Anyway, after weeks of prep and editing and revising and double-checking, it was all put to bed on the evening of Wednesday, June 24, to go to press Friday. And then, the next day, the King died. And took my Newsweek cover with him. (Insert expletive of your choice here.) Such is the news biz, but ultimately they saved my day at the beach for the subscribers’ edition, while on the newsstand they went with a Michael infinitely sweeter and more innocent than the one who just left the earth.
So, a big thanks to Bonnie and all at the mag for giving me the chance and for being so great to work with. It was an honor to do, and now all the more bittersweet.
8 comments.
Kudos Chip. . .cool cover concept on Newsweek.
I guess the “King is Dead” cover made the the “Good is Dead” cover BEAT IT. . .
Your cover designs are superior!
Nice design! This brings back memories of my first (and it turned out only) cover illustration for Business Week that was completed and ready to run in October of 1987, featuring a profile of Reuters.
Unfortunately, on October 19, the stock market crashed (aka Black Monday), and my cover illustration was bumped for a solid black cover. I took a long walk that day, and comforted myself with the fact that I was probably one of the few that had made money that week. :-)
Nice work. I look forward to stealing the subscriber’s copy from my dentist’s office during my next visit.
bula chip-
what iz all thiz ‘kool nice& nice’ aint there a tab
more happening in the ultra ztatez thezedayz-
-what waz that ” Art iz th medizcen for th worzt
dezee of th mind-th corrupction of concouznezz”
Google: the ultra ztate
E n d J 0 Y
Pz: im interezted in zeein’ th MJ death mazk-dig
i remember zeein’ th zonny lizton <now that waz
moxie-that waz far ahead of them timez
zpunn me face around
zoon,frank0
If it’s any consolation, the same thing happened to Walt Kelly when King George V died.
bula matt
no konzilation/kan’t zee it
luv to hear th walt kelly ztory-
az 4 kinggeorge5 . . . .
anywho-im alongtime gone-yrzago [1990]a book review
zhowzUP; the replacement of nature
which i punch into th zearch: & GOOD
IZ DEAD zhowz -im ztill looking for info
‘the outragiouz evloution of economix life’
NExt thang i know im zendin’ zalvo’z to an eaztcoazt grafix
artizt-attemptin’him to take an interezt in doom . . . .
NExt im lookin’ to hav a zhow @ th gagazoni gallery nyc
a jazpar jhonz REvizitULTRA/az i painted NuGlory [1982] & like
i put IT to zherpard fairey & hiz LA dezigngroup[ztudio
number one]& to any & all to come up with a Nu flag to
carry th weight of our AGE/me NuGlory offeringz zhould make for
az good a tangent az iz pozzable
get krankin’ th time iz
zoon,frank0
Google; the ultra ztate
Pz; don’t get me ztarted on george farriz
th farriz wheel
E n d J 0 Y