Phil Kovacevich began his talk with a little background on himself. He earned a degree in graphic design in 1988, then worked for various corporate entities for a few years. But he found himself becoming bored with designing yet another bank brochure (for example). So he decided to go the freelance route and concentrate on projects he “cared about.”

He hooked up with Katy Homans, a well-known designer of art books, who sent him a steady stream of work for several years. In the beginning, he did “lesser chores,” such as type corrections. He found this work to be tedious but also eye-opening because it taught him about what editors do and how editing can improve a piece’s readability. He said he also thinks the experience improved his own grammar!

As a result of these experiences, he said, clarity of thought became one of his goals. He thinks a big part of his job is presenting material that is “accessible.” He’s fascinated by the sequencing of information for readability. He believes his work should be invisible; the design should be in the background, not the foreground.

As a designer, he lobbies his clients to hire editors and occasionally does the hiring himself. He said he likes editors to be involved because they

·  can shape the content effectively, especially in sequencing

·   prevent costly errors in production

·   cushion the designer from endless discussions about content

·   can function as project manager so the designer can have a more passive role

Phil said about two-thirds of his work is book design, with the other third being miscellaneous pieces such as brochures, leaflets, and the like. He does only an occasional logo design. He passed around samples of recent projects, including

·        The Sea and the Bells, a book published by Copper Canyon Press

·        Jewelry of Ken Cory, for the Tacoma Art Museum

·        a small catalog for glass artist Ginny Ruffner

·        Luminous, a catalog for the Bellevue Art Museum

About Luminous, Phil said that the client initially didn’t think the piece “needed” an editor, but Phil talked them into hiring one. Seeing the editor’s work turned out to be a huge eye-opener for the museum. Now he doubts they’ll do another project without one.

Phil also shared examples of brochures—some good, some bad—explaining that the bad ones desperately needed an editor. He said the designer can do only so much to make something a good read; ultimately, it is about the words. He quipped that without an editor, a piece might be “pretty” but unreadable: “Well, you could read this … if you were in prison … and there was nothing else on the shelf!”

In explaining how he works, Phil said curators or art historians generally drive the production of an art book. They may prepare the text, from which editors ideally turn out “magical” essays. Given these essays and a stack of photos, Phil begins laying out the book page by page. As he goes through the essays, he might think, “Let’s put this photo here” or “This photo should go here.” His goal is to “make a satisfying, rich experience for the reader.”

Questions from the group:

Q.        Do you have any contact with the editor through the design process?
A.        Usually at least a little

Q.        What’s your schedule like? Are you generally busy?
A.        Art work is more seasonal—fall and spring—so there are ups and downs. I have an assistant to help; generally I stay quite busy. 

Q.        How many things should a proofreader point out?
A.        Making corrections is quick and easy to do up until the second galley stage. After that, use your judgment and stick with more major fixes.

Q.        What should editors know about graphic work?
A.        Try to anticipate what, if any, problems a particular fix might cause. Be aware of spacing concerns. For example, if you recommend deleting a couple of lines here, suggest how to compensate for the spacing irregularity that may occur. Some editors rewrite accordingly or add new copy to take up the slack.

Q.        Do you ever consult on estimating printing costs?
A.        I’ve been known to help bring authors back down to earth after they’ve said they want full color, slick paper, etc.—on a limited budget! Generally, I provide such estimates when I’m quite sure the prospective client is going to have me do the design.

Q.        Are you at the point now where you get most of your work by referral?
A.            Actually, I’ve always gotten most of my work that way. I try to be very visible in places where authors and publishers and other prospective clients gather.

Q.        What are you working on now?
A.        My current projects include a document for the City of Seattle Urban Design office and a small catalog for the Tacoma Art Museum.

In response to a final question about interior vs. exterior design of a book, Phil said he often does both, but not always. Some designers prefer working on one or the other, and sometimes time constraints limit a designer to doing only one or the other. Phil told a story of a book he recently worked on in which the cover designer didn’t have time in his schedule for the interior too, so the client hired Phil for that. Phil completed the interior design, and then the client realized he had given the two designers differing size specifications for the book! The client decided to go with the size he’d already specified for the cover, so now Phil must redesign the interior to fit the cover size—at the client’s expense, of course. 

—Ann Gosch, notetaker

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