Cool gift idea for your design nerd, number 7456: Alex Steinwess, Inventor of the Modern Album Cover, Art Edition from Taschen Books.
From the press release: “In 1940, as Columbia Records’ young new art director, he pitched an idea: Why not replace the standard plain brown wrapper with an eye-catching illustration? The company took a chance, and within months record sales increased by over 800 percent. His covers for Columbia—combining bold typography with modern, elegant illustrations—took the industry by storm and revolutionized the way records were sold.”
There’s a limited edition of 100 numbered and signed copies with a signed serigraph print of an unreleased work. If you miss the art edition, numbers 101-1600 will be collectors’ editions.
I found out about this just yesterday from Alex’ granddaughter and close friend of mine, photographer Shoshannah White, who makes breathtaking pictures. Shoshannah herself has a holiday gift option ready for shipping: a printing of a lovely berry branch in several different editions and price points; perfect for gifting and available at FocusMaine.