We had the distinct pleasure to interview award winning designer Derek Dubler about their original and creative Book Jackets design work. Derek Dubler is an award-winning communication designer, that makes our world a better place with their original book jackets works.
Derek Dubler ("DD") answered Design Interview ("DI") questions about their award-winning work Distortion Series Book Jackets. Interview questions prepared by Frank Scott.
DD : The big idea behind my book jacket series is this concept of distortion. Each book covers a different form of distortion. The Rift is a novel about a large earthquake, Singularity focuses on the science of black holes, and Amnesia is the story of an individual who suffers from memory loss. The forms of distortion then become represented in physical, extraterrestrial, and mental forms. The front cover portrays each form that best represents it's nature. A jagged, triangular descent in the earth's crust. A circular motion that pulls into the event horizon. And square tiles falling out of place as if they were memories.
DD : My main focus was designing a system that remained unified, but also allowed each individual book to live on its own. I also wanted to represent each title in the simplest of forms.
DD : The conceptual development took several weeks, and the construction took several more weeks. A total of around 3 months was spent from start to finish.
DD : This is a conceptual piece of design in which I intend on using it strictly for my own portfolio. I do not plan on selling or leasing the rights unless contacted by one or more authors of the written works I chose.
DD : I have always been inspired by swiss graphic design. Based on work that I have seen in the past, I believe that there is a strong, simple solution to every design challenge. You just have to keep digging until you reach it.
DD : Several peers and professors gave me feedback that helped me push my idea further.
DD : I suppose the target customer is whoever finds an interest in reading about earthquakes, black holes, or amnesia.
DD : Considering that the books I selected are written by three different authors, this concept is unique to the chosen works. This is a series of unrelated titles by author and subject, but related by a singular idea that I revealed through my design.
DD : The name Distortion Series refers to the central concept behind the project. Different forms of distortion are portrayed through each book and thus, each book jacket.
DD : Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop and InDesign were used to prep the files prior to production. A Nikon D3100 & 50mm lens was used to take the photographs of the props that were ultimately used on the front covers. An Epson inkjet printer is responsible for printing out the initial black and white image. The bright colors were then silkscreened by hand as the final step.
DD : The most unique aspect of these book jackets is perhaps the striking colors on each jacket.
DD : I was contacted by representatives from the competition suggesting me to enter this particular piece.
DD : It really made me realize and appreciate the importance of stepping away from the computer. I feel that designers nowadays get so caught up with a digital workflow, that they don't realize the benefits or excitement that comes from a truly hands on experience.
