Oliver Munday, Designing Dr. Knox
Oliver Munday is a designer based in New York City. His work includes the book cover for Peter Spiegelman's novel, Dr. Knox. Spine Magazine contributor Vyki Hendy recently contacted him about the work. Below is his creative rationale for the cover's imagery in his own words.
Initially, the author had some thoughts about a direction for the cover. We toyed with the idea of a Saul Bass pastiche, a nod to his iconic posters for films like The Man With the Golden Arm and Anatomy of a Murder. It failed to grab us in the way that we had hoped, so instead we used that as a jumping off point to explore other avenues.
I was still keen on trying to make something that was graphic in spirit, one that successfully rendered the book's grit. I loved the idea of two disparate images coming together, how the intersection of these two different worlds from the book might be in conversation: the sterile, cold stethoscope, coupled with a skull rendered in the vernacular of an L.A. tattoo parlor. A hospital room as imagined on Skid Row.
Editor, artworker and lifelong bibliophile.