Clear communication is the essence of good
graphic design and illustration. A clear, concise,
message trumps any other design element.
My design style is subtle yet targeted. Thoughtful concepts,
beautiful techniques, attention to detail, and appropriate
choices communicate my client's message.
Experienced—creative—thorough—pragmatic
Many years in many areas of print graphics have given me the background to "peek under the hood" of design projects. I know how things work in graphic design—I have to know, because I also teach graphic design.
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Book design: covers, interior pages, dust jackets, e-books
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• Book cover design
Cover designs begin with a conversation with the author, brain-storming cover concepts if needed. I can work with the author's own images, or the author's searched stock comps, or, I can provide comps. Cover font choices and title placement are critical. I draw from a very large collection of useful fonts.
Beer Man Food cover for Ross Figgins, Glenross Publishing Company
The American Bully cover for Hank LargoVoicing The Dead for Stebe Robbins, Rocky Fork Press Inc.
Meekelorr for Shirley Latessa, Lindisfarne Books
Ending Congressional Gridlock cover for Gary Larsen, Boyd Street Press
Before They Know It All cover for Alan Carson Publishing
There's a Hole in History cover for Rick Mannoia, Paradise Publishing
Biblical Verses cover for Walter Lamp, Running light Publishing
Strategic Governance cover has coordinating inside cover
Strategic Governance coordinating inside cover
One and Whole cover for Neversink Publishing -
• Interior page design
I use the latest version of Adobe InDesign, taking full advantage of InDesign's automation tools (variables, GREP, and scripts). These tools save me from busywork that would your cost for my labor. Each book design considers the particular needs of the text for reader requirements, subject-matter, desired total page count, and page size. The font choices and page design enhance the book's content.
Here are just the tops of a few pages from books on diverse subjects, to show text and headline treatments.
I Would Believe You But for Marilynn McLaurin-Miles, Hope Pubishing
Jasmine Sugar for Randeane Tetu, Rowan Lake Publishers
Real Strength, Real Muscle for John Christy, Real Strength Training Publications
Murphy Brown for Linda Horton
Voicing the Dead for Rocky Fork Publishers
What Do You Do with Your 24 Hours for Wendy Westbrooks
Somewhere in the Deep South…a long time ago for W.C. Bryant, Hotoffth Press -
• Dust jackets
Dust Jackets are like a soft-cover but with lots of extra pieces for the fold allowances and fold-in flaps. Every print vendor will have different specs requirements for their jackets.
Dust Jacket for The Collectibles for James Kaufman, DownStream Publishing
Celebrate Your Life for Melissa Galt, Publishing by Design
The Dupont Dyes Company for Joe Iannorone and John Thackrah, J & J Publishing
Essay on Man for Anton Hardy, James Publications
Musings of an Old Soldier for Kirk Timm
Elvira Della Villa and Enrico Romano for Sheryl Deauville
Martha Sarah Elizabeth Bruce for her family -
• e-Books
E-books can be created from your print-book files. Novels without block-quotes or images are the simplest to convert. Non-fiction books with lists of various sorts, diagrams, captioned images, and/or other special styling take additional time to code each of those elements in css. Every effort will be made to to retain the visual quality of your print version in the e-book version.
Scags at 7 for Sullivan Street Press. This ebook is also an app in iTunes
Scags at 7 link to video and chapter heading
Scags at 18 for Sullivan Street Press, ebook cover and title page
Scags at 18 chapter title page and text page
Change Your Words, Change Your Life ebook chapter title page for Publishing by Design
Change Your Words, Change Your Life ebook block quote
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• Book cover design
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Image enhancement and repair (image composites, isolation, and cleanup)
I've been given many opportunities to make "silk purses out of sow's ears". I have improved very many author-provided images that were badly-exposed, poorly-focused, scanned with dust, low-resolution, or contained insufficient background area or a too-complicated background. Some images required compositing a silo into a different background, or removing extraneous people, or re-constructing cropped-off arms, legs, and hair. Others needed minimizing of double-chins and dark eye circles. When needed, I make very careful conversions from color to grayscale, assuring that images will print optimally.
Autism Spectrum Quarterly: original cover image and final 3-layer composite
Background replaced, girl siloed, confetti added
Art provided for Robert Fine's Katrina Kristin Kane was improved by retouching
Cover of The Whirlwind Encounter for Michael Wilson is a 4-image composite: tornado, screaming man, wild hair, hand
1917 vintage family photo was torn in half and tattered
1917 family photo after restoration, and sepia toning
Small 1913 photo was over-sharpened, heavily defining grain
1913 couple after restoration, grain removed, sepia added -
Infographics: tables, charts, graphs, diagrams
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• Table and chart design
I work in Adobe InDesign, which has very robust table-styling features. Tables can be imported from Excel, Numbers, or Word, or created from tabbed text from word-processing files. Consistency and readability are primary concerns.
From Green Parent for Kedzie Press
Soil boring results table for TSEA, LLC environmental assessment report
Part of a table of stock returns from The Wall Street Traffic Light, for John Harris
From Green Parent for Kedzie Press
Questionnaire results table, for TSEA, LLC
Workouts table from Real Strength, Real Muscle for John Christy
Part of table showing no-move weeks from The Wall Street Traffic Light, for John Harris -
• Diagrams and infographics
Sometimes words are not enough to convey a complex message. An infographic can clarify a complex idea, show a complicated sequence, and emphasize the most important facts.
Infographic for City Middletown: clean energy brochure
Site map for Harry's Marine Repair drainage changes
For Weekly Reader Heimlich maneuver
For Issues in Your Tissues for Denise LaBarre, Thought Spirals
For Kirchoff-Wahlberg, how a lightening rod works -
• Graphs
Graphs can be imported as images from their native application files, or can be re-constructed in Adobe Illustrator for better control over the quality of their lines and shapes. A chart or graph must communicate its message clearly—any decoratative enhancements must support the message, and not detract from it.
Pie graph for Weekly Reader about where immigrants live in the US
Bar Graph for Weekly Reader: money spent on entertainment
Pie graph for Grolier Publications on composition of trash
Bar graph about causes of death for Weekly Reader
Pie graph for Weekly Reader on ages to start dating
Bar graph forWeekly Reader about candy-bar sales in the US
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• Table and chart design
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Web design
I also offer web design services, creating websites to serve my client's goals.
BookAndCoverDesign.com book covers gallery
BookAndCoverDesign.com testimonial page
Prototype home page for Michael Ciulla - Voiceman
Prototype Entertainment page for Michael Ciulla - Voiceman
Picture gallery page from Journey to Set Our Spirits Free website
Field Trips page from audubon-mas.org website
Anatomy/Glossary page from Musseling the Lower Connecticut website -
Custom illustration and logos
For some concepts, especially for book covers, there may be no existing illustrations that will work. Custom illustration may be the best solution. Alternatively, a composite of stock images may also be a viable cover solution.
Life cycle of a bee for Biner Design
Dragonfly for Biner Design
Black & white poster for local theater group
Wilting celery on plate for Grolier Publishing
Kids push boxes, for Kirchoff-Wahlberg
Goals for river usage, for report done for CT Coastal Conservation District
Floating green frog
Logos for Autism Spectrum Quarterly (The Magajournal) and Starfish Specialty Press
Logos for ASD Conferences.com and H. Valentin
Kiosk promo for Journey to Set Our Spirits Free (dugout canoe building program)
Campaign button and bumper sticker for Ron Klattenberg
Logos Last Dance Ranch and Hill Country Cowboy Camp Meeting
Logo for Rocky Fork Press
