Category: Books & Publications

Print is not dead.

This is a sampling of some of our favorite book design projects. Most have regional themes expressing the exquisite beauty and wonder of the West. Others are industry specific mainly guides for artists and musicians, but our favorite cover was done for brilliant storyteller, Laura Kelly: Dispatches from the Republik of Otherness. We got to flex our illustration muscle on that one.

Books are very significant projects for us and take special understanding, experience and care to design and produce. Long Live Print—and books that we can hold in our hands, smell the ink, and feel the words and images jump off real paper pages.

We were honored to be asked to design this book written by Christa Sadler and published by the Glen Canyon Natural History Association. “Where Dinosaurs Roamed, Lost Worlds of Utah’s Grand Staircase” is the definitive tome on the paleontology of this scientifically rich region and contains remarkable imagery including graphs, maps, illustrations, foldouts and more—many created just for this publication. Great for young and old with curious minds.

We have been honored to win several Rocky Mountain Book Publishers Awards while working under the tutelage of David Jenney, Book Designer and Art Director Extraordinaire. David hired us to work on a number of books for him on various Southwest topics, including Beyond the Visible Terrain—The Art of Ed Mell. This project was particularly rewarding as we worked directly with Mr. Mell to capture his retrospective and first coffee table book. The project included a limited edition of 75 foil-stamped, leather and canvas bound cases, similar leather and canvas hard bound books within, which also included a signed print in the back pocket. The best part of this project was getting to hang out with a personal hero, Ed Mell, and get to look through flat files of his magnificent sketches.

Water is the principle, or the element of things. All things are water…So begins the story of “The Colorado”, the mighty river, which is now a mighty 400? page coffee table book that is a feast for the eyes, heart and head. It started as a documentary film envisioned by filmmaker Murat Eyuboglu who partnered with local author, river and hiking guide, paleontologist and Wonder Woman, Christa Sadler to express the storied history and future perils of the life of the Colorado River. Its course, and the course of its inhabitants and the politics it has influenced are revealed in a comprehensive invigorating text with rich imagery.

Although we have done many projects for other prestigious clients, this one takes the (birthday) cake for us! Not only was it a blast to get to go to Grand Canyon National Park for client visits, it was also a big old condor feather in our caps to be chosen to create this piece. Celebrating one of the seven Wonders of the Natural world, a designated World Heritage site, and frankly, one of the most amazing places anywhere that happens to be 75 miles away from us, was truly one of the best projects we have ever been involved with.

Many thanks to writer Roger Naylor, and our editor Jo Lombard, and the many other artists and photographers who contributed to making this a world-class publication. Happy Birthday Grand Canyon!