A Penguin Princess

Um, that title may need some work, but I went to a Penguin talk last night at The Design Museum and came away thinking that Coralie Bickford-Smith is a truly remarkable designer. There's a great interview with her here. Her Penguin Classics hardback designs are simply sublime, her designs hark back to other times and yet are so modern in their execution.

I would also like to heap praises on Jim Stoddart, the art director of Penguin Press for an impassioned yet calm, witty and truly knowledgeable talk that made me want to join the ranks of Penguin Towers even more. Okay, I'll stop gushing now.

Overview of the talk:
PENGUIN COVERS THEN AND NOW

Over the decades Penguin has sustained a reputation for generating innovative and influential cover designs as seen in the work of Alan Aldridge in the 1960s. In this cross generational discussion, celebrated Penguin designer David Pelham and former Penguin editor Judith Burnley will talk about the factors behind their particular Penguin heyday to be compared with recent achievements and future direction described by current Art Director Jim Stoddart.