This Pākehā Life: an unsettled memoir
Book internal system and cover for this memoir from award-winning author and academic Alison Jones.
The cover features a fabulous painting by Sara Langdon of Maungakiekie in Auckland, with its pā terraces visible. The title type is set in Rufina – a stencil to nod towards a settler vernacular – balanced in its own unsettled terracing. The internals also use Rufina and Domaine. This may be the first time I've designed something entirely with serif fonts!
It is published by Bridget Williams Books.
It was shortlisted in the PANZ Book Design Awards 2021. The judges' comments read:
A beautiful cover with the subtle tension of the title made manifest in an ostensibly serene view of Auckland parkland, with trees in front of a hill with a walled path on what we know might also be a pre-European Māori pā. Illustration, design and stencilled serif type add layers to a deceptively simple design that continues throughout the text pages.
View on the Bridget Williams website
I got to read a draft of this book over Christmas 2019, and I guzzled it in one sitting (which is quite unusual for me). It's a really humble, beautiful read. The cover design always felt like it should have a painting and it looked for a while like we wouldn't be able to use this one by Sara Langdon, which fits the book so well. Maungakiekie (One Tree Hill) is a stone's throw from where Alison Jones was born, and like many places in Aotearoa has that awkward two name thing going on. I lost a bit of momentum when it looked like we were going to have to use a photo on the cover, but luckily it fell into place, and I think it looks great with the stencil face Rufina by TipoType, and Domaine by Klim for the text and caps.
Selecting a Pantone colour for the inside cover