Such a beautifully delicate and subtle treatment that lacks nothing in impact. This is an example that I would never read, based on the title, yet now I plan on reading it, based on the cover. And it owes so much of its beauty to the wisp of cloud in the corner.
This is the best of graphic design, and I’d like to thank Chip Kidd personally for treating it in a way that doesn’t show the photos we all saw over and over of that day.
I’m the image guy- Chip was the type guy. The sky was an illustration initially, but Martin Amis asked me to use an actual shot of that sky on that day (9/11).
The iconic symbolism of the Twin Towers will be reinterpretted over and over. It’ll be fascinating to see how designers portray the visual of the buildings… because they are no longer buildings. They represent something bigger. An event. The start of a war. Death. Hope. Who knows.
The sky was a huge part of that day. I was in Houston and I had just gone for a run and stopped through the fitness center of my apartment complex when I saw the tv. Whilst watching the coverage all day I kept thinking how gorgeous that day was in stark contrast to the day’s events. Beautiful.
Just a normal sunny September day . . .
The boredom that the designers depict is fantastic. A lack of literature lacks independence, creativity, and self thought making ones mind radically black or white (or in this case, blue).
A+
funny thing is that House of Meetings had this same visual orientation and composition… And I think Peter did that one with Chip too.
This is a very strong cover. I think as designers we may get this idea a bit quicker than the average passerby. But it ends up being this sort of iconic visual metaphor that people will notice and remember and be bugged by enough to eventually pick up.
oh geez. when i looked at this cover, i didn’t even see towers or get the connection to 9/11 until reading the line below the title.
i saw two planes (the perpendicular flat kind, not the flying kind) in perspective and when my eye rested on the title, my automatic interpretation was that it was referring to something metaphysical (“second plane”... of existance?!).... until i read the second line, of course.
maybe that was totally intentional. i’d like to think it was, then i don’t feel dumb.
in reality the two towers are not even in parallel… one is ahead of the other one… so this perspective is kinda` wrong… i bet all of u did hardly recognized it….symbolism? of ignorance?
This could be interesting maybe, as an example of polysemy of the image. I’m from Chile and speak spanish. So, when I first saw this cover here and read “The second plane”, I traslate it to “El segundo plano”, not “El segundo avión”, and understand the cover as a trick of figure-background or something.
15:01:36 > I click on the book cover’s icon simply because the geometric shape catch my attention. I want to know what this book is about.
15:01:38 > I read the top line, don’t know what it means…
15:01:40 > I read the date on the second line…then I zoomed out again on the whole geometric shape and noticed that it was the 2 towers.
15:01:45 > I feel that I have to take a deep breath.
15:01:47 > I saw that subtle hint of the sky. It is so subtle yet so powerful.
15:01:50 > I have not seen such a creatively designed book cover for a long time….it is wicked….
It will be remembered for a long, long time.
...........
An amazing cover.
A very decent review of said cover.
— Ben Pieratt, 2008-05-01 10:52:00
Such a beautifully delicate and subtle treatment that lacks nothing in impact. This is an example that I would never read, based on the title, yet now I plan on reading it, based on the cover. And it owes so much of its beauty to the wisp of cloud in the corner.
This is the best of graphic design, and I’d like to thank Chip Kidd personally for treating it in a way that doesn’t show the photos we all saw over and over of that day.
— kellyc, 2008-05-01 13:37:00
It’s a beauty.
And I could be wrong, but I think it was designed by Peter Mendelsund.
— Keenan, 2008-05-01 14:23:00
Wow.
I have to admit I was sure you’d lost your mind there for a second…. then I read the book title.
— Sunny, 2008-05-01 16:10:00
How does the rest of the cover play out?
— dave, 2008-05-01 16:15:00
It was Chip and Peter together.
— GH, 2008-05-01 16:40:00
Lovely…
— C-Dog, 2008-05-02 05:07:00
I’m the image guy- Chip was the type guy. The sky was an illustration initially, but Martin Amis asked me to use an actual shot of that sky on that day (9/11).
— Peter Mendelsund, 2008-05-02 06:03:00
The iconic symbolism of the Twin Towers will be reinterpretted over and over. It’ll be fascinating to see how designers portray the visual of the buildings… because they are no longer buildings. They represent something bigger. An event. The start of a war. Death. Hope. Who knows.
Lovely cover.
— Blake, 2008-05-02 06:20:00
Bold, risky, direct, unembellished. Thank you Chip and Peter!
— Kosal Sen, 2008-05-02 08:04:00
I really love it when a designer can still come up with a new visual idea about a subject matter that has already seen so many interpretations.
— David Drummond, 2008-05-02 08:18:00
Love the cover. Love Martin Amis more.
— ian shimkoviak, 2008-05-02 14:51:00
The sky was a huge part of that day. I was in Houston and I had just gone for a run and stopped through the fitness center of my apartment complex when I saw the tv. Whilst watching the coverage all day I kept thinking how gorgeous that day was in stark contrast to the day’s events. Beautiful.
— Auguste, 2008-05-02 18:13:00
Just a normal sunny September day . . .
The boredom that the designers depict is fantastic. A lack of literature lacks independence, creativity, and self thought making ones mind radically black or white (or in this case, blue).
A+
— Arthur, 2008-05-03 08:16:00
Fantastic cover- can hear the marketing types whispering about bow ties and too much black, but somehow the guys got this up- a win for graphic design
— josh, 2008-05-04 04:32:00
funny thing is that House of Meetings had this same visual orientation and composition… And I think Peter did that one with Chip too.
This is a very strong cover. I think as designers we may get this idea a bit quicker than the average passerby. But it ends up being this sort of iconic visual metaphor that people will notice and remember and be bugged by enough to eventually pick up.
— ian shimkoviak, 2008-05-04 13:58:00
funny thing is that House of Meetings had this same visual orientation and composition… And I think Peter did that one with Chip too.
Ha. What a funny observation.
Trapezoids – The Next Big Thing
— Ben Pieratt, 2008-05-04 17:57:00
oh geez. when i looked at this cover, i didn’t even see towers or get the connection to 9/11 until reading the line below the title.
i saw two planes (the perpendicular flat kind, not the flying kind) in perspective and when my eye rested on the title, my automatic interpretation was that it was referring to something metaphysical (“second plane”... of existance?!).... until i read the second line, of course.
maybe that was totally intentional. i’d like to think it was, then i don’t feel dumb.
— jac, 2008-05-06 11:33:00
image is strong, type is lacking. why?
— perry, 2008-05-21 14:52:00
in reality the two towers are not even in parallel… one is ahead of the other one… so this perspective is kinda` wrong… i bet all of u did hardly recognized it….symbolism? of ignorance?
— monkey, 2008-05-30 23:16:00
This could be interesting maybe, as an example of polysemy of the image. I’m from Chile and speak spanish. So, when I first saw this cover here and read “The second plane”, I traslate it to “El segundo plano”, not “El segundo avión”, and understand the cover as a trick of figure-background or something.
— Andrea, 2008-06-19 13:35:00
I love this. I read it as plane as in level/view too, not as in aeroplane at first, but that just added a little more to it for me.
— boblet, 2008-07-17 05:49:00
15:01:36 > I click on the book cover’s icon simply because the geometric shape catch my attention. I want to know what this book is about.
15:01:38 > I read the top line, don’t know what it means…
15:01:40 > I read the date on the second line…then I zoomed out again on the whole geometric shape and noticed that it was the 2 towers.
15:01:45 > I feel that I have to take a deep breath.
15:01:47 > I saw that subtle hint of the sky. It is so subtle yet so powerful.
15:01:50 > I have not seen such a creatively designed book cover for a long time….it is wicked….
It will be remembered for a long, long time.
...........
— wilson yau, 2008-07-28 12:14:00