bloom's blog

Turning kitchenware into art

IKEA has once again teamed up with photographer Carl Kleiner to create a lovely new creative campaign for its kitchenware. Following up on his stunning IKEA cookbook Homemade is Best, Kleiner, in conjunction with stylist Evelina Bratell, has elevated simple kitchenware, into beautiful works of art.

It's inspired...

Flipback books, the new Kindle killer?

Could this be the next big, little innovation in book publishing?

‘Flipback’ books have just been released in Britain as a portable new printed book format. It’s smaller and lighter than an e-reader so it fits easily in your pocket and serves as a convenient companion on long journey for those who still prefer to read the printed word on pages.

Flipback books were first introduced in Holland 2009 where they’ve proved very popular selling over 1 m copies. Hodder & Stoughton have published a selection of 12 Flipback books for the UK by celebrated authors such as David Mitchel and Stephen King at a cost of £9.99.

 

We’ve already ordered ours. Should be arriving any day. Not sure it’s going to kill off the Kindle though.

Books are judged by their cover

Today book covers straddle the divide between art and commerce. Just as great design must convey the brand essence, so cover illustrations must sell the story concealed within.

The changing role of book cover design reflects changing attitudes towards books over time.  In the Middle Ages tomes were encrusted in jewels and dusted in gold leaf, a testament to their value. With the proliferation of libraries in the Georgian period books were widely available yet reading was regarded as a rather sober affair, reflected in the era’s restrained leather-bound volumes. The modern dust cover, with vibrant illustrations and bold typefaces, owes its origins to the United States, where in the 1920s the rise of mass communications and increase in consumption encouraged publishers on both sides of the Atlantic to introduce richer visuals to entice passers by to purchase.

Penguin was one of the first to enter the fray. Instigated by Allen Lane and later refined under Jan Tschichold, the paperbacks marry a clear logo with a classic yet contemporary typeface and a colour coded three-band cover to create a range that has stood the test of time.

In the twenty-first century publishers are multi-national conglomerates and books must compete against a host of other forms of entertainment in crowded supermarket aisles. As a result some feel that book illustration has become formulaic and thoughtless, a case of shrewd picture editing rather than ingenious design. 

However if you look hard enough it’s still possible to find exceptional cover designs that sell their wares without prostituting themselves.

Ebooks may be convenient but they simply can’t compete with beautiful, tactile book covers.  Coralie Bickford-Smith’s designs for Penguin Classics are a case in point. Here she has managed to capture the essence of Fitzgerald, immediately transporting the prospective buyer to the louche glamour of 1920s New York. In a crowded marketplace minimalism and attention to typography make a book stand out. The unexpected also helps to get you noticed.  By opting for monochrome in a category awash with involving food photography Caz Hidebrand’s cookbook draws attention to the craftsmanship in every piece of pasta.  

So ignore the old expression - make sure you do judge a book by its cover.  After all that’s exactly how your brand is going to be judged. 

Following on from this post we'll be featuring some more of Bloom's favorite book covers on the right hand side of the blog.  This week’s suggestions came courtesy of Jenny Dean.  Let us know your favorites and keep an eye out for new additions.

 

cool hunting

Polly found a fab new book for the Bloom library

While doing some cool hunting ourselves we
discovered these absolute gems

boat with a view

shoelace bling

edible blooms

giant leaps

chocolate medication

one for the festivals

T-Selecta

special edition Bond books

Re-released penguin books with cover art from Michael Gilette.
We're loving the combination of great illustrations and typography
 

 

what does 'British' look like?

 

We’ve discovered a great new book, UK At Home. It's a visual take on what it means to be British at the beginning of the 21st century. It’s a kind of photographic time capsule of people and their homes.

50 photojournalists spent 7 days capturing 140,000 photos behind our front doors. The beautiful images capture the intimate moments, distinctive rituals and ways in which we interact.

It’s filled with real people in real homes, doing everything from dancing to pheasant plucking! It shows the many and sometimes extraordinary ways in which we transform our houses, flats, cottages, mansions, huts, caravans and boats into places we call home.

It’s also dotted with nuggets like…

‘During an average weekend one fifth of everyone living in Britain will eat a curry’

‘The first item British homeowners would grab in case of a fire would be the family photo album’

‘The average Briton drinks three cups of tea a day, believes in God, is more than £3,000 in debt, is captured on CCTV cameras 300 times a day and drives a Ford Fiesta’