Michel Vrana

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

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

Archives and the Event of God

My second philosophy book of the year. This is about applying Foucault’s methods to the study of Philosophical Theology. I thought a photo of Foucault himself would be too concrete, but the idea of using a pair of glasses to represent his point of view rang true.

McGill-Queen’s University Press

The Master of Happy Endings

What could the link be between a ‘Happy Ending’ and a man jumping out of the building. That’s exactly what I hope someone glancing at this cover will wonder, and that curiosity will lead them to pick up the book. The photo in the background is printed black overlaid on silver.

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 Extinction Club

The novel’s protagonist is a stamp collector, and the story has a thread about endangered and extinct species. I thought that a nod to the famous stamp with the upside down bi-plane would get across both ideas, with the upside down Cougar representing ‘extinction’. The stamp illustration is assembled from various stock photo and custom pieces, and was embossed on the final jacket.

Penguin Canada
Art Director: Lisa Jager

Wittgenstein And The Practice of Philosophy

I really wanted to use an unusual photo of Wittgenstein for this cover. With much detective work and help from The British Wittgenstein Society and the Wittgenstein Archive, I was able to find these evocative photo-booth style images. The multiple images spoke to me of Wittgenstein’s interest in language and philosophy.

Broadview Press
Photo: The Wittgenstein Archive

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

The Mystery of Everett Ruess

Everett Ruess travelled by horse and burro throughout the American southwest during the great depression, and in 1934 disappeared never to be seen again. This book is a collection of his correspondences with his family during his travels. It’s always a pleasure to work with ephemera, like the photo of Ruess.

Gibbs Smith Publisher

Lament for America

It’s always a pleasurable challenge to work with strong iconography. This book is a look at the decline of the US as a global superpower. The cover was printed in three colours — metallic green, overprinted with black, and spot red.

University of Toronto Higher Education

The Last Shot

This was my first book for Thomas Allen Publishers. A collection of short stories that had a central theme of last chances. The author was showing around the comps at a dinner party for friends, and apparently Michael Ondaatje was very enthusiastic about this matchbox concept.

Selected for inclusion in Quill and Quire‘s 2009′s Designer’s Choice Cover of the Year.

Thomas Allen Publishers