The Art of the Book: Behind the Covers with Eggers, Kidd, and Glaser

Last night more than 900 other people and I headed to the 92nd St. Y to hear Milton Glaser, Chip Kidd, and Dave Eggers speak about their adventures in graphic design. I mention the audience amount only because the high turnout seemed to shock both Glaser and Kidd, who quipped, “We were certain we were going to outnumber you.” Not surprisingly, given his mega-popularity, Eggers was unfazed by the crowd.

Glaser, best known for not only doing the “I love NY” logo in the 1970s but also for giving the city the logo (and its trademark) for free, gave a rousing overview of some career highlights, including the Shakespeare covers he did for Signet way back. He also founded "New York" magazine. Spry and charming at 77, he spoke about once receiving a two-page letter from Nabokov that explained, in great detail, including sample drawings, how Glaser should design the cover for “Pnin.”

Kidd is probably the most famous graphic designer working in book publishing today. He likened book jackets to nametags at singles events: both let you see immediately if you’d like to take the thing home. Looking like a dolled up Robin Williams in tweed and pompadour, Kidd entertained the crowd with tales from the Knopf trenches by showing successful covers designed by himself and others (a nice, modest touch). He did a great impression too of Cormac McCarthy’s agent as they went back and forth on designs for “The Road,” and Kidd claimed to disregard Haruki Murakami’s advice by asking that author, “Are you using again?”

A self-proclaimed 21st-cetury Luddite, Eggers explained that most of his design decisions have been based on what his dial up– and Quark 4.1–using computer could handle. Seriously. Like his predecessors, he showed some slides, as well as the latest edition of “McSweeney’s,” held together by magnets. However he has done or is doing it, he continues to revolutionize desktop publishing. While he rushed through his presentation and forgot the name of his favorite designer, Eggers did give an apt description of good book design: it’s a way to “enhance the keepability of the words within.” How true, how true.