It's in the fine imprint

Designing children's books really must be a fun job. Certainly the best examples of designers going a bit wild with the imprint page of all things were in kids' books, such as:

The Three Fishing Brothers Gruff – Ben Galbraith (Hodder Children's Books, 2006)

Here the text has been shaped to look like splashes and bubbles of water in keeping with the story. A page containing publication information wouldn't normally be of interest to young readers, but this page is effectively a visual extension of the story.

The Video Shop Sparrow – Joy Cowley & Gavin Bishop (Mallinson Rendell, 2000)

This book similarly incorporates the imprint page as an illustration element. The information is placed within a box on the front of a building as if it is part of the signage.

For all that fun, however, when it comes to 'grown up' books, there's much to be said for achieving a simple sense of proportion and balance in the display of this information on the page. I admire the two following examples:


Atlas of Remote Islands: Fifty Islands I have not visited and never will – Judith Schalansky (Particular Books, 2010)

Ghost Colonies: Failed utopias, forgotten exiles and abandoned outposts of empire – Ed Wright (Pier 9, 2009)