Recent — Michel Vrana

Half Blood Blues

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

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

This Will Be Difficult to Explain, and other stories

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
Hamish Hamilton Canada

The Perfect Order of Things

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

Underground

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

Violence Against Women

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

Writing Essays About Literature

A very well written and entertaining guidebook for students on writing about literature. I wanted something that echoed the voice of the author: forthright with a sense of humour.

Broadview Press

What the Buddha Never Taught

Tim Ward’s account of his time as a novice at a Buddhist monastery deep in the jungle of Thailand. The type was mocked up using Edo SZ, and then recreated in Adobe Illustrator using various brushes to give it a more hand-lettered look.

Illustration: HiDesign Graphics / iStockphoto
Thomas Allen Publishers

A Crowded Marriage

I had the privilege of working with illustrator and Art Director Ben Gibson on this project. I’d put together the basic concept using stock illustrations, and he executed it brilliantly.

Illustration: Ben Gibson
Sourcebooks

Transnationalism

The border between Canada and the United States doesn’t separate the shared history of the two countries…

McGill Queen’s University Press

The Sky is Falling

Caroline Adderson’s novel is split between two periods in the protagonists’ lifetime — as a university student during the anxious nuclear 1980s, and as a wife and mother in the 21st century. After several different comp ideas, the publisher suggested the idea of a lawn gnome. I was fortunate to find this evocative, yet wry photograph by Oliver Barmbold on Photocase.

Thomas Allen Publishers

This Cake Is For The Party

Working closely with author Sarah Selecky on this project for Thomas Allen Publisher was a rare treat (it’s not often that the designer works directly with the author). The title sits on the plate, and the crumbs, fork and tablecloth all work together to convey ‘cake’ without actually showing a cake.

Thomas Allen Publishers

Early Days in the Range of Light

For someone with vertigo, I appreciated the irony of being asked to work on a cover about mountain climbing. This book celebrates the earliest mountaineers, and I wanted something that said literary and elegant while appealing to the contemporary mountain climber.

Counterpoint Press

The Age of Persuasion

This cover was for the US edition of the book. The publisher really wanted something Mad Men-esque, and it was good fun coming up with something in that vein. I found the illustration at iStockphoto, and played with the colours and texture.

Counterpoint Press
illustration: studiovision/istockphoto.com