How do you design a jacket for a square book about a square? Michael Hall designed dozens—and dozens more, no doubt, he didn’t share with us. Here are a handful of outtakes as well as the final Perfect Square. It’s true, nothing really does go to waste. . . . Michael’s preliminary jacket designs are now enjoying a second life as a collage in the window of The Red Balloon Bookshop.
Cover A: “White covers don’t sell.”
Cover B: This was our favorite for a long time, but the sales team didn’t love it and they pushed us to do better.
Cover C: Pretty . . . but too quiet?
Cover D: We all liked this . . . but did we love it?
Cover E: Try something completely different!
Cover F: Oh, that’s nice.
Cover G: Keep going . . .
Perfect!
Michael Hall at the Red Balloon
Perfectly incorporating the perfect square outline of the book itself. Who’d a thought?…and the wider smile brings your eyes to the edges. Perfect!