This concept came to me in a cover packaging meeting. The book's Editor, Margaux Weisman, was explaining the fantastic story of how this pigeon, Cher Ami, helped in the war effort; it's bravery and doggedness to get to the other side with the messages it would carry. Often in one of these meetings, something will come to me, and I'll pitch an idea without reading anything. If I'm off the mark, I'll be shot down, no pun intended. If the concept is accepted, I'll still read the book to make sure and correct the refining details.

In this episode we talk with Paul Buckley, Vice President Executive Creative Director of Penguin US. You'll be familiar with his work through projects such as the Penguin Drop Caps Series, Penguin Black Spines, Deluxe Classics, and many more.

After 27 years at Penguin Random House, Senior VP and Executive Creative Director Paul Buckley possesses an enviable amount of professional freedom. "It's up to me what I choose to art direct or what I choose to design personally," he told Spine. He and his staff oversee 16 imprints, annually shepherding more than 1,000 book covers and jackets through the design process. Buckley himself designs several dozen. But despite attending the School of Visual Arts on an illustration scholarship, Buckley had never illustrated for Penguin. "In all these years I've never tried to pitch myself as an illustrator to my team," he said. "I can always find someone far better than myself." Or could until Penguin decided to publish a series of well-known horror titles as part of its Classics imprint.