Samuel Beckett gets a new look
'“A neutral grey background was selected as a counterpoint to the special Pantone colours chosen for each of the 18 titles,” explains A2’s Scott Williams.
'“This choice is, in part, a playful reference to Beckett’s directive that his gravestone be ‘any colour, so long as it’s grey’.”
The Creative Review blog is discussing the upcoming re-issues of Samuel Beckett's work by UK publisher Faber and Faber (see previous posting). The article includes observations from Miriam Rosenbloom, Faber's senior designer, who oversaw the project, and various images of the new editions.
While I'm excited that the new editions are finally going to be available, I'm a little unsure about the design concept. On the one hand, they look modern, clean, simple and consistent; on the other, I'm not entirely convinced they suit the mood of Beckett's writing. I'm more a fan of the new Grove paperbacks at the moment (read more). I suppose the real test is not what the Faber editions look like on a computer monitor, but how they appear in your hands - or on the shelf.
You can read Creative Review's verdict by clicking here.
