The cover artist for Harper’s Classic Short Story Collection speaks up
March 28, 2009 by Rob
Filed under Cover Love
In a small follow-up to my recent ‘Cover Love’ feature on Harper’s ’soon to be released’ Classic Short Story Collection series, I managed to catch up with the cover artist for the set – Adam Johnson, to ask him what inspired him to go with such a unique yet profoundly effective design? Here’s what Adam had to say:
“To be perfectly honest my senior art director (Robin Bilardello) and publisher (Carrie Kania) both helped inspire the idea. In the previous round of comps, Robin had worked with a collage treatment of a group of the author photos. Later Carrie had mentioned maybe trying a little army-men-sort-of approach to the authors. The ideas sort of coalesced into our current covers. I made little cut outs the next round and brought them with me to present along with the mounted covers.”
So there we have it – living proof that group brainstorming is often the best way to go. I’m slightly disappointed not to have seen Carrie’s idea of ‘little army men’ come to fruition though. I can’t think of anything better to beat Adam’s great design than a cover full of little lead Tolstoy’s (and think of that marketing opportunity Harper 
)).
Anyway thanks to Adam for taking the time to answer my question, and for giving me the kind permission to publicly print it. Quite simply, you rock! )
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Rob, a self-confessed bibliophile, is without any hope of rehabilitation. He gets unnaturally excited over anything book-shaped, and if book sniffing were a crime then he would have been locked up years ago (which wouldn't bother him in the slightest provided his cell were lined with books)
