There was a time, now sadly long gone, when bookjacket art directors would bravely commission designers without having the foggiest idea of what they'd produce. As mentioned earlier, Penguin's David Pelham was one such risk-taker. He'd simply give you an open brief and hope for the best. And, most of the time, the best duly arrived. In this respect, the '70s and '80s was a golden period for bookjacket design, especially as far as ideas are concerned. Then came the computers and the Philistine stylists...
Brief
Design a bookjacket for 'The Penguin Guide to Stereo Records' - a massive tome that listed trillions of records from pop to classical.
Solution
Couldn't think of a damned idea. Was getting a bit worried as deadline day rapidly approached. I kept thinking about records. And penguins. A penguin conductor in a penguin suit? Nah. Such was my concentration in this area that I almost missed the key word 'stereo'. At the eleventh hour (plus a bit) I had one of those 'eureka!' moments: take HMV's iconic dog 'Nipper' and...
(Looks a bit dog-eared but I suppose it would do after three decades of bouncing around in my beat-up folder.)
Result
Idea accepted and, as yet, haven't been sued by HMV.
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