Creating Design Magic
by Tatyana Sinioukov
Perhaps what makes University of California Press so successful is, in part, that its design team consists of people like Nola Burger, who enjoy the daily challenge of making their books stand out
At UC Press, five in-house designers choose their projects and leave the manufacturing responsibilities to production coordinators. "We'll look over a list of books that are being launched, and then the designers will meet," explains Nola Burger, an award-winning designer who has been creating book covers, jackets and interiors for eight years; has taught at the California College of Arts and Crafts in San Francisco; and has judged the Bookbuilders West book shows. "We figure out who wants what," Burger elaborates. "Sometimes it's a subject of particular interest to a designer, other times it's the text and art that pose an appealing design challenge. Production staff go through a similar selection process; it's satisfying to have a say in one's projects."