full production
original sketch
Listening to Trees
Author: A.K. Hellum (Dr. Andreas Kåre Hellum)
Designer: Natalie Olsen, Kisscut Design
Publisher: NeWest Press
Genre: Environment & Ecology
Typefaces: FF Seria (serif and sans) with hand drawn lettering
Cover Illustration: Natalie Olsen
Interior Illustration: A.K. Hellum
Printing: The jacket is a one spot colour job (Brown: Pantone 161U) on 80lb Rolland Opaque Natural, no varnish. The interior was printed 1/1 black ink on 55lb 100% PCW Rolland Opaque Natural.
Even if I were responsible for pumping millions of gallons of oil into the ocean and wanted desperately to avoid any guilty feelings for my acts… I would still pick this cover up…
—Jason Gabbert
How did you become a book cover designer?
I completed a 4-month-long internship at a small literary publisher called NeWest Press during my 3rd year of art school. My first book took me about 300 hours to design, but I got a little quicker and they asked me to stay and make more books after their art director resigned that same year.
What do you enjoy about your job?
I enjoy being among the first to read a new manuscript and collaborate with the author, editors, and publisher to give that black 12-point Times New Roman some life on the page.
What is this book about?
Listening to Trees is about a forester’s lifelong journey to salvage the world’s declining forests. Hellum speaks to our environment’s fragile state-of-being with stories from Thailand, China, Guyana, and the Philippines, where the forests have been stripped of their resources and improperly regenerated.
Were there any constraints from the client?
We agreed that we didn’t want to produce another environmental title with a picturesque photo of some evergreens on the front.
Were there any steps taken before you started designing?
I always read the manuscript first. I consider it a major job perk and the most thorough client brief a designer could ask for.
Was there a clear working process that led to the final?
The final design is basically just a sketch. I drew the cross section hoping to use it as a texture in the final design somehow. When I got to the outer ring, I incorporated the title and author name, scanned it in, touched it up, and inverted the colours to increase the impact.
I was worried that the imagery was too simple, but the understated drawing and sensitive printing treatment really suits the tone of the book. The natural texture and off-white colour of the cover stock peer through the brown ink to form the image.
Did you collaborate with anyone? How was that process?
The author’s journal notes and sketches were very influential. I didn’t feel any were suitable for the cover, but I wanted to develop an image that felt harmonious with Hellum’s personal style of documenting his experiences.
Did the project have any unique struggles?
Just the desire to have the book stand apart from similar titles released during the same season.
Were there any solutions outside the final you’d like to share?
The initial response from the publisher and the author was very positive, so I didn’t develop any supplementary concepts.
What is the message behind the design?
I suppose, like the author, I just wanted people to consider trees in a different way. To perceive them as fragile. The growth rings work as a symbol of longevity, with the weighted line and tiny imperfections emphasizing how tenuous the lifespan of a forest is.
