Radical Covers

When I was putting together my review of Michael Sorkin's latest last week, I browsed publisher Verso's web page. One thing that stood out in their redesigned site, which makes the covers more prominent, is the Radical Thinkers series, especially the covers of the last three sets; a smattering is shown here. I like that they opt for simplicity and lots of white space over designs that might be more, well, radical. As well, each shape, form, or few lines relates to the book, title, or author in some way; they are not arbitrary. When an overload of information prevails on most surfaces, paper or screen, these quiet designs speak to a need to channel the rest out and focus on the ideas within. In this regard, these covers might just be radical after all.



On a related note, see my blog post on Bruce Mau's covers for Zone Books.