Peter Mendelsund In the latest installment of “Before and After,†four book designers discuss recent examples of their work. Each designer shared early concepts for a cover as well as the final design that ended up on the book.
Peter Mendelsund wrote about his experience designing a cover for Julio Cortázar’s experimental novel “Hopscotch,†which turns 50 this year:
I spent weeks working up various “Hopscotch†covers. I could’ve spent years. I still occasionally feel the urge to continue designing “Hopscotch.†But for the time being at least, here’s the final. It features the steps of a tango, superimposed on a “rayuela,†a hopscotch field. Using a game of hopscotch as a visual device always felt like the most apt (and most obvious) solution for the cover. (“Hopscotch,†the novel, may be read like any book: front to back. It also may be read by “hopscotching†through the chapters according to a set of instructions given by the author.)
Where this cover succeeds: It reflects a little bit of the crackling improvisational energy of the text.
Where it fails: It misses the book’s pathos.
The entire slide show can be found here.
