Black Jacket Mechanical

2009-10-07T08:51:00.000-07:00

Sorry about the lack of BLACK JACK posting- so much work to do, so little time. And this post is nothing to get excited about either: I am simply checking in to announce that all future updates on the BLACK JACK front, are going to be seen here, back at my old Jacket Mechanical Blog. It's just easier for me that way. Thanks all.

PS Abrian has begun the arduous design process on BLACK JACK 12 and I will be updating on that over yonder soon.

Best,

Mendelsund

...........

The Prize Winners!

2009-09-14T10:22:00.001-07:00

Ok people. It's all over! The winners have been chosen- though, it must be said, narrowing it down was (truly) painful. There were just so many great entries. The judging crew was gobsmacked by the beauty and variety of your work. So: terrific job everyone. As I said early on, I'm going to try and find a way to acknowledge as many of you as possible in one way or another. More on this as I figure it out.

The judging crew:

Barbara DeWilde, Helen Yentus, and Jason Booher did most of the heavy lifting here. They were incredibly professional, meticulous, thoughtful, and patient. Additional support from Yani Mentzas of Vertical Press was crucial, as was the keen eye of Knopf creative director Carol Carson. Eventually, everyone in my department here weighed in- so thanks as well to Chip Kidd and Brian Barth- especially to Brian, who kept sneakily pulling entries out of the "rejects" pile and adding them to the finalist pile, in order to broaden our thinking, and, frankly, also to mess with our heads.

I was acting as independent monitor, peace-keeper, and parameter-setter; and I was diligent about not influencing the outcome (as I knew in advance who had sent in which entry). Strangely, the judges eventually picked five (of the seven) entries I had secretly chosen as my personal favorites. This just goes to show you that perhaps color-sense is not so subjective after all.

In any case, the criteria used for judging was primarily: "does this entry look good;" followed by "does this entry fit into the series;" followed in turn by "does this entry stand out just enough from the series." There were some interesting and profitable discussions about designs that were eliminated because they "looked too much like something that Peter Mendelsund would do," a category which I didn't know existed, and was furthermore surprised to discover constitutes a less-than-desirable thing in this context. The judges clearly were looking for an entry that was innovative, colorful and, most importantly, unique without being totally off the reservation.

.........

But now- on to the winners...

There was one grand prize awarded, and three second prizes, as well as two third place finishers and an honorable mention. So here they are!

.........FIRST PLACE

Grand Prize winner is Abrian Curington! We all went nuts for this. It is just perfect. The colors, the balance, the subtle deviation from the assignment, the way the flaps come forward and recede, the dimensionality of the thing...there is just not enough nice things one can say about this. It is the winner- so congrats Abrian!

As a side-note, there were many professional illustrators, art directors and designers of note who entered this competition- I was pleasantly surprised that the winner (and indeed, MANY of the winners) were/was someone I had never heard of- in fact, Abrian was so much of an outsider she was not entirely easy to track down! But track her down I did.

Abrian is 20 years old and self-taught. She's going into her junior year at Western Washington University where she has just entered the Studio Art program. So this year marks the beginning of her formal art training. She will also be graduating with a Japanese minor and a Classical studies minor. We've spoken on the phone- and she's smart and charming, and I couldn't be happier. So she and I will be working together on designing this next Black Jack. And I'll be posting our progress here on this site- as well as, eventually, a link to her illustration work. She'll also be getting all the Black Jack Books and the Dororos, and a couple of extra books as well...Congrats Abrian!

.........SECOND PLACE

Now on to the Second Prize Winners (who will all be receiving the complete Black Jack Series)

This, by Matt Dorfman. You all have seen his work frequently in the New York Times where he has done numerous beautiful op-ed and book review illustrations. He has also done some very pretty book work for Penguin and music packaging for Motown and other record labels. Furthermore, he is showing up at my office in the next ten minutes to receive his books in person! Look forward to meeting you sir. The judges gravitated towards his comp instantly. (fyi, all illustrations were removed from the entries when judged, lest you think the art is what sold us). The colors here are spectacular- and we all loved how Matt subtly divided the field in half- while simultaneously respecting the idea of different quarters of color.

.........SECOND PLACE

This from Courtney Baker. The judges put this entry in the "happy" pile at once. It was one of the very first entries to be deemed a finalist. It was the only entry that made this particular move with the flap color, and it did so with incredible elan. As with Matt's entry above, there was discussion about whether this one should win the whole shebang, and it very well could have. I've asked Courtney to say a little something about herself:

"I am a book designer at the University of North Carolina Press in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. We publish books on a wide range of topics, with many of our titles relating to the Civil War, the American South, Latin American studies, and African American history. I design both jackets and interiors, but I definitely prefer working on jackets. I’ve always had a penchant for color and pattern, and I accidentally wound up with a BFA in studio art with a design concentration after a failed attempt at becoming a physical therapist! I have been at UNC Press for about a year and a half, and I still have a lot to learn about book design and typography.

I live in the historic district of a small town in North Carolina with my husband, Caleb, our dog, Grace, and our cat, Picasso. Our house is over one hundred years old, so restoring, renovating, and decorating it is an ongoing project. My color entry was inspired by the salmon-pink velvet sofa in our parlor, which is especially beautiful when the sunlight pours in through our windows!" Congrats Courtney.

.........SECOND PLACE

Sarah Gladwell. Lovely. The colors are just glorious, and it harmonized beautifully with the series whilst still standing apart. I haven't been able to reach Sarah yet- so Sarah, if you're out there- shoot me a line! (Update- Sarah is a graphic designer in New Zealand who does, just, like, amazing work: InHouse Studio)

Now to the Third Place finishers (who will get the Black Jack's we've printed thus far- which is Volumes 1 through 7)

.........THIRD PLACE

This from Mr. Hollis Duncan: "I'm a graphic designer based in Barcelona. I began my career in New York working for Paula Scher at Pentagram. I studied graphic design at Portfolio Center. I fell in love with books while an undergraduate at Sewanee: The University of the South. What I share in common with John Gall is: my first job was at Landor Associates (I was a corporate identity designer; John worked in packaging I believe) I've been working for myself for one year ... I design everything print: book covers, posters, identity systems and logos, editorial illustrations, packaging, ephemera. A highlight of last year was doing a photo illustration for Nicholas Blechman at the NYT Book Review."

So it seems Nicholas has already hired TWO of our Black Jack winners. He must be prescient.

As I mentioned- I will be posting portfolio info from these designers in time. So keep tuning in!

.........THIRD PLACE

From Krista Joy Johnson- who I am dying to know more about- particularly because she was one of those wonderful designers assigned the "too much like Peter Mendelsund" cross to bear. I drooled over this comp, but, of course, I would, as it is evidently the kind of thing I would design myself. Congratulations Krista! (Update:Krista wrote in- She works for Sourcebooks publishers in Naperville, IL. And we really must share some color-choice DNA, because she tells me she never looked at my other covers in the series. Awesome. Nice to meetcha Krista.)

.........HONORABLE MENTION

This particular comp was the exemplar of all rule-breakers. It easily could have swept the competition, but was deemed just too freaking different from the rest of the books to ever successfully be subsumed into the series. Nevertheless- it needs saying: this is awesome. Helen Yentus said to me of this one: "could I just use this design on one of MY forthcoming books?" A sentiment we all shared. You sir, are a talent.

This from...drumroll...Ian Shimkoviak: Book-blogger and designer extraordinaire! Remember, this process was anonymous- and I find it immensely satisfying that given this fact, Ian should have been chosen out of the 932 we looked at. It's NOT surprising really, as, he is someone who thinks deeply about book design, yet, the odds of anyone who I had actually heard of making the final cut were very slim. So, congrats Ian, and, as I haven't exactly figured out what the "Honorable Mention" prize is, I'll be in touch. What I'm hoping is that I still have enough of these books to give, and I'm pretty sure I do- So I'll need an address...

.........THE REST

I will continue to blog about the other entries I have received; the entries that were eliminated for a variety of reasons both arbitrary and reasoned, but which were all, on one level or another, wonderful. So keep tuning in. There will also be more about our winners, and an ongoing discussion of color and process, as Abrian and I work on our joint-venture Black Jack design. So don't go away! There's more still to come.

Thank you all ever so much,

-Peter

Almost

2009-09-13T08:27:00.001-07:00

The winners (1 grand-prize winner, 3 second place winners, 2 third place winners, and a couple of honorable mentions) will be announced here tomorrow, Monday the 14th, at some point during the day. Thank you all for your patience! We're almost there.

-Mendy

Judging Round 1

2009-09-09T13:49:00.000-07:00

No major announcements yet. But just so you don't think we are sitting around twiddling our thumbs: the judging of The Black Jacket Mechanical contest is under way! We have already sorted through the first two rounds of eliminations, and have winnowed the selection down from the close-to-a-thousand entries received, to about fifty, and then down to about ten or so. The judges are going to convene again tomorrow to determine a final cut. At some point after that, (and before Monday) there will be a palaver with Vertical Press, then I'll post the winners, along with an in-depth look into the process used by the judges (as a teaser, I will say that our already all-star judging panel was enlarged further to handle the volume of material). (N.B. if you do not see your comp amongst these particular photos, it does not mean that your comp didn't make the final cut. I only snapped these pics during one ten minute period of the judging. So fear not!)

The existing volumes were used as a reference...

As you can see- we cut out the middle and top panels of your palettes, to see how they worked with different pieces of art...

More soon,

-Mendelsund

That's all folks!

2009-09-07T08:53:00.000-07:00

We've reached the deadline! No more submissions will be considered. Tune in here for updates. As I mentioned below, I am expecting the judging to take a week or so. I will keep you posted as often as possible. My sincerest, most heartfelt thanks to one and all!

-Mendelsund

2009-09-04T08:36:00.001-07:00

Monday morning is the last moment for submissions. Nothing past 12:00 noon tomorrow.

Also: the judging will take approximately one week. If everything goes according to plan, I expect to have the process completed by the following Monday the 14th (Barbara DeWilde's, Yani Menztas' and Helen Yentus' schedules permitting) But, in case we get it done sooner (and we very well might), be sure to check in here periodically because here is where the results, and other info, will be posted.

Incidentally, this Monday, the competition's deadline, marks, exactly, the one year anniversary of the Jacket Mechanical blog. So- huzzah, mazel tov, excelsior, lhude sing cuccu, etc.

If I have not had a chance to post your submissions (and there are tons of these beautiful Black Jacks languishing un-posted) it emphatically DOES NOT MEAN it will not be considered in the judging. It just means, for lack of time I was unable to format it for the web. The ones that have been posted thus far are not necessarily odds-on favorites. The posting process has been fairly random. The judging will not be. I have printed all of the submissions out and numbered them. The process will be fair, and anonymous.

Finally- it cannot be said enough: thank you all so much for making these, sending these, and being, generally speaking, awesome.

Yours,

-Mendelsund

2009-09-03T11:25:00.001-07:00

THIS COMING MONDAY MORNING IS THE ABSOLUTE DROP-DEAD DUE DATE FOR ALL ENTRIES.

(Though, I would really prefer if you didn't wait that long)

Thank you all for your boundless enthusiasm and ingenuity!

—Mendelsund

Oh, and, er, buy them please!

2009-08-31T19:53:00.000-07:00

They can be purchased here...

2009-08-31T13:30:00.001-07:00

A Request

2009-08-31T07:50:00.001-07:00

As much as it pains me- I must now limit the submissions to one per entrant. The salad days are over- there is just too much for me to process, and I really want to ensure that I can give each and every entry the attention and consideration it requires.

And, of course: thank you all again, so much, for your consideration, talent, energy and overall gumption.
Yours,

—Mendelsund

Another Group

2009-08-31T07:39:00.001-07:00

Some more for your delectation:

Some More thoughts on Winning...

2009-08-28T08:49:00.000-07:00

There cannot be ONLY one winner. There just can't. There are too many beautiful submissions.

So...

I think what I can do is this:

The judges will choose ONE Grand Prize winner who will get to design the volume in question, have their design credit on the book, and of course, receive the full set of Black Jacks and Dororos. (As a side note- I always type Dororos as "Doritos" by accident.)

THREE more of you will get the complete set of Black Jacks (because I counted and I have enough)

Know also that I am working on some way to properly acknowledge EVERYONE who has generously proffered their time and energy to this project. What form this acknowledgement will take, I am not yet sure. But I have some interesting ideas on the matter. More, soon.

—Mendelsund

2009-08-28T08:25:00.000-07:00

Hold on to your hats folks, cause here are some more...

A Note on Pattern

2009-08-27T08:30:00.000-07:00

As in every profession, there are lightbulb jokes about publishing. None of them are funny, but all contain a wee kernel of truth.

To whit:

Q: How many publicists does it take to screw in a lightbulb?
A: Can it wait till after lunch?

Q: How many managing editors does it take to change a lightbulb?
A: I already took care of it.

Q: How many jacket designers does it take to change a lightbulb?
A: Does it have to be a lightbulb?

Thusly has pattern entered the Black Jack designathon fray:

"Do these designs have to consist of only solid colors?"

The answer is: "I'm not sure." But I am glad to have these maverick designs on board in any case. Because, well, why not? I have received gradients, polka dots, and you name it. And there is nothing inherently wrong with that. I have, in fact, encouraged experimentation. HOW these patterned designed will be ultimately evaluated by our recently empaneled expert judges, remains to be seen. So sending a pattern in lieu of a solid color pattern is a bit of a gamble. But our lives are made richer through risk-taking. So go on ahead.

As I mentioned earlier, I am not posting all the designs I receive- But, as an exemplar of the "Pattern" School of Black-Jacketing, here is a set I call:

THE GREBE-UPON-AVON UNITED, HOME-AND-AWAY, FOOTBALL-JERSEY KIT

* * * * *

"It is not the form that dictates the color, but the color that brings out the form.." —HANS HOFFMAN

More...

2009-08-27T08:23:00.000-07:00

Because you asked...I'm not going to be able to post everyone's palette (especially if you sent multiple entries) because it is hard for me to keep up- sorry! But I WILL endeavor to keep posting some in the hopes that you all stay inspired and continue to understand that this thing is ongoing (there is a week and a half left). I will be disappointed if I don't hear from EVERYONE. Yes, I'm talking about you. So keep them rolling in please. —Yours, Mendelsund.

2009-08-26T18:28:00.000-07:00

2009-08-26T17:15:00.000-07:00

"If one says 'Red' and there are 50 people listening, it can be expected that there will be 50 reds in their minds. And one can be sure that all these reds will be very different."

—Josef Albers

* * * * *

Keep em coming folks! (I know there are a lot of these up already- but know that each entry is unique, and will be carefully considered as such. Seriously. No blindfolds or dart-throwing involved!)

There are still many untapped veins and unexplored concepts...

If you want some inspiration go look at some Josef Albers, or Le Corbusier, or simply bear witness to the colors in front of you at this very moment.

I will provoke you further with this wonderfully vampiric response I received tonight:

Choosing your art...

2009-08-26T12:56:00.000-07:00

Though this contest concerns itself primarily with color, these covers have art that needs choosing as well. Specifically, the center triangle; the top-most rectangle; the spine (which is a collage of images); and a big panel on the back). I was thinking we'd cross that particular bridge when we got to it- but upon further reflection, it occurs to me that this part of the process is so much fun, why not decide now how it's gonna go down, and share it with the rest of you as an incentive? You didn't think I was going to choose the art all by myself, didja?

So let it be known: when my panel of experts (Art Director Barbara DeWilde, designer extraordinaire Helen Yentus, and Publisher/Editor/Genius Ioannis Mentzas...oh, and me!) have convened, and chosen a color combination they/we love above all others, we will contact the winner and said winner will be sent the japanese edition of the volume in question along with a pack of post-it notes (Unless you live in New York City or environs, in which case: come on over!). Said contestant will then indicate what art they like, and where they'd like it, and we will subsequently work together, over the phone, in person, via email, carrier-pigeon, pneumatic tubes, (however necessary) to scan and place it all properly. Ok? Ok. It is so decreed.

2009-08-26T11:01:00.000-07:00

Now- lest you think the first 60 entries represent every color combination possible- there are SO MANY MORE!!! Whole realms, nations, federations, uncharted spectra of color have yet to be explored. So KEEP THEM COMING!!! There are many solutions yet un-thought of...please send yours.

Some Entries...(displayed in no particular order)

2009-08-26T11:00:00.000-07:00

THE BRIEF....

2009-08-26T07:20:00.000-07:00

Ok people- here's the deal: There are a lot of Black Jacks. A whole lot. Many, many volumes. Which is good- because Tezuka's Black Jack constitutes the greatest achievement in manga ever committed to paper. Seriously.

Choosing the colors for these many volumes has been a little spot of pure joy in the life of an otherwise beleaguered designer. I am a simple man (I know) and choosing the colors for this design brings me great satisfaction every time. But... I thought it might be fun to open up this process to the readership in order to see if any of you have any radical ideas vis a vis color: what colors look good together, what colors pop, what colors ring your own peculiar bell etc. So dust off your color theory books or just fly by the seat(s) of your collective pants. Anyone, as they say, can be a winner.

Send me your ideas, and if I like your palette, and Vertical likes your palette, we will use it on a forthcoming volume of the Black Jack series and...(wait for it)...I will send you every single copy in the complete set. Yes, all the Black Jacks can be yours! (and maybe I can persuade the incredible folks at Vertical Books to throw in the three  Dororos as well? YES). Provisos below.

Here is the basic template. There are 5 colors to be decided upon- the four rectangles as well as the triangular flaps. The top rectangle, and center diamond are for art (to be determined later). I cannot upload my (Illustrator, InDesign) templates- So make do, using this jpg as a guide! If you REALLY CANNOT LIVE WITHOUT THE INDESIGN TEMPLATE- email me, and I will provide- Though, frankly, you should be ok without.
   
I am reserving the fluorescents for later use, so: nice try.

Can FEWER than five colors be used? Convince me.

Can a PATTERN be used? Likewise- Convince me.

Consider that, at most, these are printed 5c. Process color is preferred, but not mandatory.

Three winners will get the first eight volumes up front, from me directly, and the remaining volumes when we are done printing them.
   
One Grand Prize winner will get their design on the Black Jack in question, their co-design credit on that particular volume, and, of course, all the Black Jacks and the three Dororos!

Send these comps to me at pmendelsund@randomhouse.com as jpgs.

Send only one per entrant!

I will post as many as I can!

Sound like fun? It does to me. Now go to it.

..............................................................

(Update)

some have asked about supplying PMS colors, and others have worried about cross-platform color-shift, to which I say: "worry not the details!" You can sketch these comps with a magic marker if you so like; you can send a patchwork quilt; you can use Illustrator, Quark, Etch-a-sketch, Lego, Lite-brite or fingerpaint. I asked for jpgs, but you can send a pdf, a tiff, or anything else if you prefer. Printing details can always be worked out later.

PPS. As an editor once said to me: "Always exceed your mandate." Here is an example sent in recently: Flaps are different colors, boxes similar colors. Break. My. Rules. Keep em coming!!!!  

..............................................................

2009-08-26T06:37:00.000-07:00

Two important facts:

1. The contest will close Monday the 7th of September.

2, And....the IMMENSELY TALENTED Barbara DeWilde and Helen Yentus have agreed to be judges (as well as Ioannis Mentzas, the Editor-in-chief of Vertical Press).

.............................................................