PAN MACMILLAN
Design
manager*
if I didn't polarize the room, I didn't create anything of value (imo)
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if I didn't polarize the room, I didn't create anything of value (imo) •
My first career was with Pan Macmillan – a global publisher with an office in London, UK – as a book cover designer.
In a short span of 4.5 years, I became the Design Manager for Bluebird, received international awards and recognition, and enjoyed being a guest speaker on all things design.
What was a highlight?
I had returned from my working sabbatical in Sweden (with Do The North) and I was questioning if I had anything left in the design tank. I thought it was empty but then the company decided to release an anniversary collection known as the Pan 70s.
The brief was to create a look that celebrated 70 iconic years of Pan Books, with 20 titles, marketed to a new generation of readers.
I had always wanted to do a Swiss-style series, and I thought this collection would be perfect. The throwback would be a fun reference, the approach – minimal but smart, and the colors – bold yet refined.
*This series was designed with the divine and uptightly pixel-perfect, Stuart Wilson. It won multiple awards including a D&AD Award which you can read more about below.
Do I read the books I design?
This is by far the most frequently asked question every book cover designer gets. My answer . . .
No, however, every designer is different and I have worked with people who really prefer to connect with the writing. I find details too distracting and my perfectionism got in the way if I was too enmeshed.
My approach involved: understanding the market, the vibe of the author, and the general idea of the book, and then feeling into what I personally wanted to bring into the world. More often than not, there would be a wonderful overlap of what the book needed to be and what I needed to express.
WHAT DID WE ACHIEVE?
We created an art department that had the industry wondering:
what would we create next?
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Radical Self Expression
My greatest legacy at Pan Macmillan was exemplifying how bizarre, open and playful the creative process can be. Whether it was putting my legs up the wall or a shouty run around the block, I took my time to be creative and I always did it my way. As a result, I . . .
Design managed Bluebird, which generated £6.6 million in printed book sales (2018)
Promoted from Designer to Senior Designer and identified as a top performer year-on-year for design excellence and team collaboration
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Industry Influence
Through Instagram, Twitter (#TalentTuesday), guest lecturing, design features, and industry-wide events – we put Pan Mac on the design inspo map. My favourite of these endeavours were:
Twice featured and interviewed in Creative Review with Mark Sinclair (Sept. 2015 + Nov. 2017)
Judge for the Academy of Book Cover Design (2019) + Applied Arts (2018) Awards
Keynote speaker at St. Bride Foundation’s: Out of Your Comfort Zone event (Sept. 2018); alongside the best in book cover design
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Awards + Recognition
It’s fun to say I’m an international multi-award-winning designer – and it’s true. [*insert humble brag here] I won two-lifetime achievement awards in a four-year career, before the age of 30. It’s pretty wild. My awards include:
KILLED
COVERS
All book cover designers have a highlight reel called “Killed Covers”. They are covers that were once part of the creative process, embody the heart’s essence of its creator and for whatever reason, they just don’t make it through.
My theory is they are/were just too cool to go to print. Too ahead of their time.
Usually, they get canned because of the feedback from Sales and although they probably wouldn’t sell through, they definitely would have gotten noticed.
Here are just a few of my favourites that didn’t make “the cut”.
“I've been lucky enough to work with some extraordinarily talented individuals across 40 years of publishing, and it is no exaggeration to say that Justine is one of the most talented of those.
She has an unusual mix of a highly analytical intellect, married to pure intuitive freedom.”
Geoff Duffield, [previously] Creative Director at Pan Macmillan
Founder of Geoff Duffield Stories
