Book Cover Designs
The Peach Stone
The Peach Stone is a short story by Paul Horgan, and can be summarized as follows: A couple’s two-year-old daughter has burned to death in a pile of dried plants in the backyard. During the drive to her funeral, the family reflects on the tragic situation and on their own lives. An affirmation for life emerges in each of the passengers over the course of the trip. The child’s death marks a changing of seasons in all of their lives, bringing about a new season that is terribly sad, yet carries hope and strength for the future.
For the design of the book cover, Anne Jordan and I chose the leaf as a metaphor for life and death, the changing of seasons, and the precious nature of human existence. We lasercut type into actual leaves, using the element of fire itself to form the title so the words emerge organically. This design is featured in both Carter-Day-Meggs’s Typographic Design: Form and Communication and Ben Hannam’s Practice Makes Perfect.
Birth of a New Machine
Birth of a New Machine is a novel written to help victims of sexual assault. It is a first-hand account of Gene Kane, a survivor of childhood abuse. It is a story of politics and community efforts to find empowerment and protection.
To represent the broken system (and the possibility of re-birth), I photographed old watch parts. Not only did they visually connect to a ‘machine’ – but they also symbolize how something small can become a part of something greater.
This piece won a Silver at the 2015 Western Virginia American Advertising Federation ADDY Award Show.
