31 March 2009

my other day job

as my father would say, another book has been born. my dad is a historian and writes a handful of books every year. i feel fortunate to work side by side with someone i so respect and admire. i design the layout for each book. over the years i have come up with certain steps for putting all the pieces together. read more about my design process in this interview.

my main goal in designing a book layout is to enhance the author's work. the blood, sweat and tears. my father loves his work. he has been the perfect example of doing what you love. he puts in hours of writing, reading and resesarch. he travels the world to discover the histories of families, places and businesses. last year he went to Poland to piece together the lost stories of a family from centuries ago. he finds the roots of every family tree; he revives the forgotten and gives stories new life. i am the lucky one who places them on the page.


a look at my latest layout.


my dad with his cap in Yorkshire, England.

10 comments:

Berta said...

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this post as I'm in the process of creating my own books of family, faith and heritage. Thanks for the inspiration. I LOVE your dad and I just met him! ! ! Thanks for sharing - really!

Travelin'Oma said...

If someone's going after Dad, I'm glad she's a writer. We could use a little help around here!

summer said...

wow. such beautiful work.
both of your tasks- the writing & the designing- sound highly daunting.

Sarah said...

Ooo Yorkshire, that's where I live :) Is it Fountains Abbey?

Anonymous said...

Wow, you have a GREAT job! I love what you've done with the set up in the first photo and the second one is awesome! Really capturing the moment!

I'd love to hear more about your Dad's trip to Poland and the story he was going to uncover. Sounds interesting! I love history!

Karie said...

I love your layout and that picture of your dad is AMAZING!!

Tiffany said...

How exciting! You are amazingly talented. The book looks beautiful.

Tara said...

I was so delighted to read this post. I have always been a lover of history and old photographs. I had no idea your dad did this for a living. But I'm glad I know it now. You are so lucky to come from a very talented family.

Pina said...

A wonderful job and a wonderful dad! Lucky you! :)

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