How Adobe InDesign Took Over

Way back in the day — that is, before the mid-nineties — publishing on the Mac consisted of Quark XPress. Okay, sure, there was Aldus Publisher and some bit players, but it was basically Quark or nothing. I used Quark in book design back then, and … basically hated it.

I was one of the early adopters of InDesign, dragging co-workers and companies along with me, as part of my time working at Tropicana. Not the juice cartons themselves — those were done in Illustrator — but the ancillary stuff, like marketing materials, sell sheets, and so on.

AppleInsider ran a piece a while ago (I’d missed it, initially), “How Adobe InDesign took over publishing with Steve Jobs’ help.” Good history for those of you who don’t know about those days or want a trip down memory lane, best summarized, in fact, by a commenter on the article: “This covers an interesting arc. Adobe went from an ambitious upstart trying to unseat an established, albeit arrogant, standard, to becoming the arrogant standard.”

Read on.

NPR’s Book Concierge

NPR's Book Concierge

“The Book Concierge is NPR’s annual, interactive, year-end reading guide. Mix and match tags such as Book Club Ideas, Biography & Memoir, or Ladies First to filter results and find the book that’s perfect for you or someone you love.”

Typographic Illusions

“A collection of free tools for demonstrating typographic phenomena, for anyone teaching or studying typeface design.”

Great stuff from Hoefler & Co., stemming from an episode of the Netflix series on design. Enjoy.

How This Doubleday Art Director Designs Book Covers, From ‘Frankenstein’ To ‘Fitness Junkie’

“Emily Mahon has been Art Director at Doubleday Books since 2006, and has also done freelance work for a wide range of publishing clients, including St. Martin’s Press, HarperCollins, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Henry Holt and Company, Alfred A, Knopf, Little, Brown and Company, Simon & Schuster, among others.

I asked Mahon about her approach to book cover design, the design process, working with outside artists, and updating classics like Frankenstein.

Interesting interview with an accomplished book designer and art director, courtesy of Forbes Magazine.

Exhibit celebrates 50th anniversary of Cary Graphic Arts Collection at RIT

“Rochester Institute of Technology is celebrating the 50th year anniversary of its internationally renowned collection of books and artifacts dedicated to the history of the printed word.

The Cary Graphic Arts Collection is hosting a retrospective exhibition, “The Founding Collection and Beyond,” displaying pieces from the library that belonged to printer Melbert B. Cary Jr. and later acquisitions that have shaped the collection since its inception in 1969.

A public reception will be held at 4 p.m. Oct. 9 in the Cary Collection on the second floor of Wallace Library on the RIT campus.”

If you’re in/near Upstate NY, this might be worth attending.

In Utah? Check out University of Utah’s Book Arts Program

“The rhythmic sounds of paper being cut, the letterpresses being used and the scent of ink drying — this world and program is hidden to most students at the U, but it is more than worth your attention. […] A wide range of classes are offered to students on all things book: bookbinding, letterpress printing, book design, paper making, artist books and several typography courses.”

In or near Virginia? Check out What’s Your Type

As they say, “Learning to print with rare book school.” This seems like a great opportunity to explore:

Rare Book School at the University of Virginia is dedicated to studying the history of the book as a cultural artifact and all that goes into making books (even digital texts), including the printing process. The school offers a range of courses in Charlottesville during the summer, as well as in several other major cities, to spread the “knowledge and expertise essential to the responsible stewardship of the historical archive in all its richness and pluriformity[.]”

Actual university courses in book design, the history of bookmaking, even letterpress. Good stuff.

Read more.

Great Q&A with “The Light Collective”

An Australian group of photographers called The Light Collective has an interview in the Aussie pro photography magazine Capture. Aside from the great imagery, there’s an excellent discussion regarding what landscape photography is about, and why working together with a group can result in a sum greater than the parts.

For all interested in taking their photography to the next level, especially folks who aspire to great landscapes, its a great read.

Galleries Updated

As part of the new web site, I’ve redone the media.gileshoover.com section to better highlight the more than 5000 photographs available.

Note that those items are available as prints, framed or unframed, starting at a very reasonable $5. My web commerce provider, Zenfolio, also offers museum-quality fine prints, also framed or unframed, and a variety of other merchandise, from card sets to mousepads, pins, and mugs.

Explore and purchase today. Thanks for your support!

Update, Jun 25, 26, and 28: More galleries updated. Check for new photographs from Alabama, Florida and North Carolina!