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Q & A with Daniel Justi

Twenty-nine year old Brazilian designer Daniel Justi graduated in graphic design and art direction from centro universitário belas artes de são paulo, and has been working in editorial design and type design in São Paulo for the last 6 years.

Regular readers of Caustic Cover Critic and Design Work Life will already be familiar with his distinctive book jackets and typography, but I’m happy to post a new interview with Daniel here.

Daniel and I corresponded by email, and he was good enough to answer all my questions in English.

How did you get into book design?

When I was finishing university, I received a proposal for an internship job at an publish house called Editora Manole. So I started working as an editorial assistant. After a while, I started to get very interested in the various methods of making books, so I started studying typography, grids, proportions and many things about Fibonacci, Villard and the golden ratio more deeply. Today, I think that designing the interiors of books is one of the most technical fields of graphic design.

What is your current role in the industry?

Fortunately, I got a position that is rather rare nowadays, which is working with both the cover design and the interiors of books. Sometimes there isn’t enough time so I need to hire freelancers and, in these cases, I need to act as art director. Besides, I run my small type foundry and also do freelance work for some publishers.

Are there a lot of opportunities for book designers in São Paulo?

Yes and no. The publishing field in São Paulo is quite busy. There are many publishers and most of them hire freelancers. At the same time is unusual to work for several publishers. It is more common to do work for only one or two. The editors don’t seem to like to vary their freelancers. So when an editor trusts you, you usually get a lot of work.

Could you describe your design process?

My design process is often not linear. Of course I always start with basics like color, shape and typography, but I think its important not to have total control of the process. The accidents, incidents and coincidences are important in my process. For books, I usually say, “let the text control.” The content is what sets the decisions like to using or making illustrations, pictures, collages, textures, typography, etc..

There is nothing better than content to define the shape.

What are your favourite books to work on?

Definitely literature and art.

I believe that literature books are the best. They don’t need obvious solutions. You can be daring, try something new or maybe weird, since that has something to do with the content and, most important, makes the reader think.

I think the main function of a book cover is to create a communication with the reader and not just give you all the obvious way. It is important never to underestimate the reader.

I also enjoy working on academic books, containing information graphics, charts and timelines. I like to find the visual solutions for these kind of books.

What are the most challenging?

Medical books.

The publishing company where I work is well known for his books on medicine. It’s always a great challenge to make good design books on this topic. Currently I think it’s a fun challenge, but a few years ago, it was terrifying!

When did you become interested in type design?

In my last year of university, I had an extra course of a project called Tipocracia.

Tipocracia is a project of a graphic designer and professor called Henrique Nardi. The purpose of this project is to disseminate the typography and type design in Brazil. It is a very important initiative and encourages students to engage in the field.

I’ve always had a great interest in typography, but contact with Tipocracia was what motivated me to start my own type foundry.

Does working so closely with type inform your book design?

Absolutely! Work with type design completely changes your view of typography.

Currently, my attention is more focused on covers, but I never want to stop designing the interiors of the books, which is where all your technical knowledge is put to the test. So, for me, doing both (cover and interior) will always be enjoyable.

What are some of the current design trends in Brazil?

Hard to say. Brazil is a very big country and many things happen outside of São Paulo.

In São Paulo, for example, I don’t think there’s a specific local trend. I think it’s more like trends that exist in other large cities and urban centers, like London or New York.

Trends end up becoming more global. This year, for example, designers from Pentagram (including Paula Scher and DJ Stout ) came to São Paulo to promote workshops. At the end of the year Stefan Sagmeister is coming. Maybe it’s all about a global trends.

Who are some of the Brazilian designers we should look out for?

There are so many names, but I’ll try to summarize my favorites by area:

Book covers: Retina_78

Graphic Design: Rico Lins

Type design: Fabio Haag

Illustration: Thiago Queiroz

Photo: Cia de Foto

Where do you look for inspiration and who are some of your design heroes?

I try not to look for inspiration in graphic design field. I think it’s necessary to have other interests to inspire you. Things that inspire me are simple like skateboarding on a Saturday afternoon, reading a book, listening to some music, photography and going to the movies or art exhibitions.

Some of my heroes are Paul Rand, Alvin Lustig, Neville Brody, László Moholy-Nagy, Josef Müller-Brockmann, Jan Tschichold and so many others…

What does the future hold for book cover design?

I believe that things tend to increasingly professionalize. The market is saturated of free stock images. It’s important to create customized solutions so we don’t repeat what has already been done.

My central philosophy is to never underestimate the consumer. Design is communication, and for it to exist, you must not deliver everything and let people think for themselves. There must be an interaction.

I really like Massimo Vignelli’‘s phrase:

“I disagree with people who think the word dog should look like a dog. Even worse are people who think the word dog should bark.”

Thanks Daniel!

One Comment

  1. Great interview! Thanks for posting this. I really like his work.

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