The Shining Girls

Designing The Shining Girls Covers: We Go Behind The Scenes With Joey Hi-Fi MANDY J WATSON

Joey Hi-Fi, who is based in Cape Town, designed the cover for the paperback edition and collector’s edition of Lauren Beukes’s The Shining Girls. He is known for his strong illustration work and meticulous attention to detail, which is especially noticeable in his typography. I asked him to tell me more about designing this cover.

MJW: Did you know from the beginning that you would be designing two covers, and how did you plan for it? If not, how did that affect your work in progress?

JH: I was only aware there was going to be a special edition after I was done designing the paperback cover. Designing two covers for the same novel was something I had never done before and it came with the added expectation of at least matching what I had done for the paperback edition. It must be said – I was quaking in my Converse sneakers. Initially I had designed and illustrated the paperback cover title typography to work on its own without any photographs, which later made designing the hardcover special edition cover much simpler.

MJW: The photographic cover is a departure from what most people associate as being your style. Take us through some of the conceptualising that occurred. How did this cover design come about?

JH: I tend only to use photography for book covers if I feel it suits the tone of the book or if I can commission photography specifically for the cover. Commissioning good photography is often hamstrung by budgetary and time constraints. Fortunately in this case I had access to a bank of interesting images, which I will mention later on.

I had the basic idea for the cover in mind almost immediately after reading the novel. I thought that since events in the book cover so many different time periods, the cover should reflect this. The book also follows the attempts of the lead protagonist (Kirby) in trying to solve a mystery spanning decades. I thought the cover should also have that feel – of someone trying to put together clues in order to solve a mystery.

Initially I had the idea of just illustrating the title of the book, with each letter in the title being from a different time period. I then expanded this concept to include some of the eerie objects mentioned in the book (their true significance of which would become clear as you read the story). I decided then that photography combined with some kind of illustration could work well.

A portion of the book plays out in the 1990s. I thought it would be great to capture some of that 1990s design aesthetic on the cover as well in a subtle manner, so I delved into the boxes in my spare room and emerged victorious (albeit a bit dusty) with old Ray Gun magazines from the 1990s, some examples of David Carson’s deconstructed type, and a few Dave McKean relics, all of which influenced my design in small ways.

After that I met with Lauren to discuss some ideas. Knowing that Lauren prides herself on the meticulous research for her novels, I asked whether she had taken any photos of the various objects mentioned in the book while she was doing research in the US. She had – and a whole lot more. It was then that she showed me the research photographs for the book that she took while in Chicago – photos she’d taken of buildings, interiors, and landscapes where scenes from the book took place. They were almost like location shots for a film. The photos were exactly what I had in mind. They all had that creepy, haunting and almost otherworldy glow that I felt the cover required.

At that stage I’d also seen the covers for the UK and US editions of The Shining Girls, both of which feature a woman on the cover. I then decided that instead of using photos of the “shining girls” from the novel, I would only offer small glimpses of their appearance and personality. I preferred leaving the appearance of the various shining girls to the reader’s imagination. I also felt this would set apart the cover for the South African edition from its UK and US counterparts.

Once we’d sorted through the photos, I selected the images that worked well together and would complement the typography. In keeping with the tone of the novel (and of course the “shining girl” aspect of the plot) – I wanted all the images on the cover to have a slight haunting and otherwordly glow to them. To achieve this I decided to superimpose some of the images over each other. On some of the images I also superimposed and added small, subtle elements, some that the viewer may not see initially.

I wanted the title typography to reflect events in the book. Some of the letters represent different time periods and some are derived from objects and events mentioned in the book.

For example, some of the time-period-inspired letters include:

• The “S” (in “Shining”), which has a 1930s-era neon showgirl sign feel to it.

• The [second] “N” is derived from a specific 1950s comic book.

• The “H” is reminiscent of 1990s deconstructed type seen in such magazines as Ray Gun and the work of David Carson.

• The “E” is based on an actual Chicago newspaper from the 1980s.

Some of the letters inspired by events and objects in the book include:

• The knife forming the shape of the “L”.

• The Yale & Towne key making up the [second] “I” in “Shining”.

• The charm bracelet forming the other “I” in “Shining”.

• The chalk “R”.

I explored using just photos of objects for the title typography but felt the typography got lost when placed alongside the other photos on the cover. It was then that I decided to use black and white for the title. It had more impact, and also added to the eerie and haunting mood of the cover.

Once I had finalised the title typography and layout it was just a matter of finding the right mix of images to complement it. This process was a bit like solving my own little jigsaw puzzle. I tried quite a few combinations (with input from Lauren and Fourie Botha from Umuzi). Eventually (and after much debate) the right balance was struck and I think it all came together well in the end.

MJW: How do you plan the typography and the iconography that you intend to include? Do you go through many iterations (trying different designs and icons for different letters) or is it quite a straightforward process?

JH: I made notes of various objects while reading the book and asked Lauren for the visual reference she had collected.

I had a basic idea of how the typography could work, based on some loose sketches I did, but it’s only when I started working with the actual objects or illustrated letters that I got to see what worked well. During this process I usually end up going through many iterations of the typography.

I wanted to include objects from all of the time periods covered in the book, so I compiled a list of objects for each time period. From there I began matching up objects with letters and seeing how they worked as a typographic whole. It was a bit like solving my very own typographic version of the Hellraiser puzzle box.

Eventually it all clicked nicely into place, but I did end up with quite a few versions of each letter. Some looked great on their own – but were overpowering when part of a whole. I find when designing this kind of typographic piece (type made from objects), it is always a challenge reigning myself in and not pushing the limits of legibility too far. Obviously on a book cover, legibility of a novel’s title is of a high priority.

MJW: You mentioned working with the help of Lauren and Fourie when you were putting together the typography jigsaw puzzle. How much input did Lauren and the publishers have in your design work?

JH: We all worked together quite closely on this cover. I always value the author’s input when working on any book cover. I take the responsibility of putting a cover on any writer’s work very seriously so the end result must be something the author is happy with. Lauren is always a great help when working on her covers and she is a constant source of insight and interesting ideas. For The Shining Girls she was most helpful in suggesting and selecting the photographs for the cover, as well as giving me some visual reference and input for the title typography. For example: in researching and writing the novel she had a specific kind of key in mind, a particular make of knife, and so on. She’d taken a massive number of photos on her research trip to Chicago, so I needed her input in the selection process. Being the author she was in the best position to tell me which were most relevant and so on. She also lent a hand sourcing alternate photos for the cover where needed. As for the publisher – the team members’ input is always important, since they have the final say on whether the cover is approved or not. In this case they were always there to provide a positive guiding hand.

This interview first appeared on www.brainwaves.org