This page contains a Flash digital edition of a book.
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ShOwcASE ShOwcASE
hENRY hOBSON
MACMILLAN NEW WRITING
When Grafik celebrated its 150th issue back in April 2007 we asked 150 designers to contrib-
ute to a book about inspiration. Taking part was RCA graduate Henry Hobson who wrote
lovingly about his collection of Picador proofs (aka advance reading copies) of novels. These
nuggets of “non-design” gripped Hobson with their pure, unfussy, unfinished feel and their
rainbow spectrum of covers. After acquiring one as a present, he felt inspired to hunt down
more. Soon addiction set in and he was a full-blown collector before he knew it, writing in our
MARK BOYcE
150 book that “they have an understated beauty that you just can’t find in most ‘designed’ SIZES MAY VARY
books… Knowing that they’ll never make it on to a retailer’s shelves, they feel like they’ve been
made for my eyes only.” If formats get you feeling a bit frisky, fresh graph paper gets you misty-eyed and a diagram of
international paper standards is, for you, nothing short of frame-worthy artwork, then this book
But the story doesn’t end there. Grafik’s 150 book ended up in the hands of Richard Charkin should work like vectorised Valium on your graphic erogenous zone. Subtitled “A Workbook for
(then CEO of Macmillan publishers), who was impressed by Hobson’s stirring critique of the Graphic Design”, Mark Boyce’s creation (published by Laurence King) is part sketchbook, part
design of the proof covers and invited him over for a chat. The meeting resulted in Hobson reference manual and, yes, part graphic porn.
being offered the job of designing a range of proof covers for the publisher’s Macmillan New
Writing range. At first our hero was reluctant. “I felt that because the Picador proofs are unde- But once you get past the first flush of excitement upon opening Sizes May Vary, it becomes
signed, produced directly by the printer, that there was no way of improving them,” he says. clear that this is also a very practical tool for the everyday realities of design work. There are
“The proofs are perfection.” Luckily, however, Hobson came round to the idea and devised a pages upon pages of templates for all the formats you are ever likely to work with, including
style for the covers that retains the balance of neutrality and personal voice that so appealed all imaginable sizes and shapes of envelope, CD and DVD packaging, web browser windows,
to him in the original proofs. Each title is handwritten on the cover by the author, with stationery sets, outdoor advertising hoardings and poster and billboard configurations from
their signature, and printed in a single opaque colour on a neutral grey stock. The Macmillan four-sheet posters to ninety-six-sheet billboards. And if that’s not enough, you get the lot as
New Writing range is unique (and somewhat controversial) in literary publishing, not only cre- editable vector files on an accompanying disc. Gold dust. There’s also a pull-out poster of
ating a vehicle for debut authors but also receiving submissions by email. Commissioning international standard paper sizes and a section of practical information and measurements
Hobson to make a bespoke design for the covers is evidence of the forward-thinking nature on all the formats featured as well as sections of deliciously empty plain, lined and graph
of the series and proof of how one designer’s enquiring mind can create a whole new field of paper and book signatures. All of it is waiting—naked and expectant—for you to fill up with
creative endeavour. your designs. Grafik for one is itching to get sketching.
www.henryhobson.co.uk www.markboyce.com, www.sizesmayvary.com
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