The Many Covers of Paul Bacon

The world of graphic design lost a titan this month. Paul Bacon, who died on June 8 at 91, designed iconic covers for books such as Jaws, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, and Catch-22. According to his obituary in the New York Times, Bacon was responsible for what became known as the “big book look,” a widely imitated style that stressed big typography and blocky colors with understated drawings. Baconsaw his job as “finding something that would be a synthesis graphically of what the story was about,” he told Print magazinein 2002. He was one of the best at it,and his workinspiredgenerations of designers like Chip Kidd and Peter Mendelsund.

Bacon hand-drew his designs and much of the typography for the covers, which gave his work a personal, slightly imperfect look. Working with bestsellers meant hearing feedback on his designs from marketing and publicity departments — and doing many revisions. But Bacon wasn’t stubborn. “I’d always tell myself, ‘You’re not the star of the show. The author took three-and-a-half years to write the goddamn thing, and the publisher is spending a fortune on it, so just back off.'” Here are a few of our favorites:

“One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” featured Paul Bacon’s hand lettering.

(Paul Bacon)

With “Compulsion” (1956), Bacon established what came to be known as the “Big Book Look.”

(Paul Bacon)

Paul Bacon’s cover for Paul Theroux’s “Saint Jack” would look good as a sleeve tattoo today.

(Paul Bacon)

“Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance,” from 1974, was one of Paul Bacon’s influential cover designs.

(William Morrow & Co.)

“Catch-22” is one of Paul Bacon’s most iconic cover designs.

(Paul Bacon)

Paul Bacon invented the all-typography cover that has come back into style.

(Paul Bacon)

Along with book jackets, Bacon designed album art for jazz labels like Blue Note and Riverside that joined typography and photos in playful, surprising ways.

Paul Bacon’s cover for Thelonius Monk’s “Alone in San Francisco” (1959).

(Paul Bacon)

Paul Bacon’s cover for “The Other Side of Benny Golson” (1958).

(Paul Bacon/Riverside)

The classic “Portrait in Jazz” by the Bill Evans Trio also sported a Paul Bacon cover.

(Paul Bacon/Riverside)