Michel Vrana

Hard Boiled

Michel — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 17:17:54 +0000

Just finished this series of Michael Collins novels for Open Road Media. They’re eBook covers, but I pretended that I was working with spot metallic pantones for the top bands. This is my third series for the client, and I love how I’m forced to push myself to play with new type and colours. Finding just the right detective story tropes was a ball, too. How could I not have fun with titles like Shadow of the Tiger, The Brass Rainbow and Night of the Toads?

Half Blood Blues

Michel — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 00:30:28 +0000

The first chapter of this gripping novel—about a black German jazz musician who is arrested in occupied Paris and never heard from again—featured the recording of a wax master. I wanted something iconic and visceral, and the label as title suits the story well. Giller Prize-winner for 2011.

Thomas Allen Publishers

Death Sentences

Michel — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 21:03:55 +0000

A Japanese sci-fi/horror novel about a mysterious poem that kills its readers. The story begins with a Tokyo police investigation into the illegal copying and circulation of the poem, and ends in the distant future with an insurrection on Mars. Philip K. Dick would have loved this book.

University of Minnesota Press

The Lolita Cover Project

Michel — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 13:27:17 +0000

The Lolita Cover Project, curated by John Bertram, is a fascinating exercise. Dozens of stellar book designers have been approached for their takes on this important 20th century novel. I’m thrilled to be in such good company (see the link for the list of participating designers!)

I thought the image of a cage was fitting, in that Lolita has become trapped in her relationship with Humbert Humbert, but he is equally trapped by his attraction to, as he calls them, nymphets (hence the white cage, to represent their perceived innocence). The bird is ambiguously both inside and outside the cage. The images are from one of my favourite resources for mocking up illustrated covers, vectorstock.com.

This Will Be Difficult to Explain, and other stories

Michel — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 20:03:47 +0000

For this collection of short stories by Johanna Skibsrud, the original mandate was to have something that would echo her 2010 Giller-prize winning novel, The Sentimentalists. Many comps later, art director Mary Opper asked me to go off brief, and this is the cover that marketing called ‘beautifully weird’. I like that. Art Director: Mary Opper... [Continue Reading]

The Perfect Order of Things

Michel — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 20:37:28 +0000

David Gilmour’s new ‘fictional autobiography’. Neighbours looked upon amusedly as I dragged the card catalog outside and pushed a hose in through a broken back panel for this photo shoot.

Thomas Allen Publishers

An Honour Just to be Associated

Michel — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 21:28:50 +0000

I got an email last week from Thomas Allen publishers happily letting me know that three of the books I’d designed covers for have been nominated for the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize — Sarah Selecky’s This Cake is for the Party, Caroline Adderson’s The Sky is Falling, and Jack Hodgins’ The Master of Happy Endings. Kind of crazy to have three out of the twelve books shortlisted for Canada sport covers by yours truly!

Sara Selecky’s Cake was also shortlisted for the Giller Prize last year (thank goodness I didn’t have to figure out where to put the sticker proclaiming the shortlisting, since I’d probably still be trying to figure out the ‘best’ place for it on the cover). Fishtailing, by Wendy Phillips (my first YA cover), won a Governor General’s Literary award –and fortunately I didn’t have to figure out that sticker, either!.

And while, of course, the nominations have nothing to do with the covers, there’s still a nice warm feeling knowing I participated in the creation of the printed books for these fine authors. Congratulations to all of them!

Underground

Michel — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 19:25:53 +0000

The story of a troubled romance between two members of the underground Lithuanian resistance movement in mid-1940s. Once again, Ben Gibson did a perfect job illustrating my concept.

Thomas Allen Publishers

Spat the Dummy

Michel — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 19:20:12 +0000

Much of the book takes place on the Plateau in Montreal, and I wanted to evoke the hand painted storefront windows of the area. The broken window hints at some of the roughness the protagonist both takes and dishes out.

Anvil Press

Violence Against Women

Michel — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 18:31:20 +0000

A very challenging design. I wanted to convey how horrible domestic abuse is, while keeping the context of it being a part of some people’s day to day existence.

UTP Higher Eduction