Michael Salu’s Vintage Vonneguts

Taking a gutsy approach to design, Michael Salu combined unconventional elements on the classic re-issue of the Vintage Vonnegut series published by Random House U.K. When I first saw these covers, part of the fun of looking at them came from trying to figure out how they were created. If you’re like me and are curious about the materials he used, take a look at how he photographed the process (below).

It’s impressive to see the extent of planning each image must have involved. For Slaughterhouse 5 (above), he froze a block of ice around a 5-shaped cookie-cutter, coated it in a yellow gel, and then photographed it with plastic army figures (before it melts, mind you!), and this is well before turning on the computer. I also loved how he transformed cut-construction paper into a clock and got back to basics with creating type from play-doh for the rest of the series. Incorporating real and graphic elements, Salu also designed the Romantic covers for the Vintage Proust series using the simple beauty of Penny Cottee‘s photographs of flowers.

When Salu is not designing for Vintage, he designs identity materials for Curzon Cinemas and the musician, Tricky. He is also the Artistic Director at Granta, where he recently constructed a nostalgic cover from hand-set metal type for the Going Back issue. Here’s the back story.

As you can imagine, he was tied up with working on many projects, but you can read a recent interview with him on The Caustic Cover Critic. Here’s an interesting excerpt:

CCC: How much do you work with a computer, as opposed to old-fashioned ink/paint on paper? And[...]is the pressure or temptation there to do it quickly in Photoshop, rather than making and photographing a real, physical object?

Salu: This is something I’m particularly vehement about.  Bizarrely, designers looking for employment are often judged by what software they’re able to use. Intellect, cultural awareness and often creativity don’t seem to be values worthy of a resume. There is no substitute for good ideas, the rest are just supportive tools. I have always been quite a craft-led designer, but I am of the generation that studied with a mac in front of them and I think its good to understand the importance of both.

Well said.