Chip Kidd
Graphic designer extraordinaire
Photo credit: John Madere
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About Chip Kidd
Chip Kidd is “the closest thing to a rock star” in the world of graphic design (USA Today). He is Associate Art Director at Alfred A. Knopf, where he has been a jacket designer since 1986. It is safe to say that over the course of two decades he has changed the way book jackets are perceived—from merely a protective covering to a work of art that sells the book. A notable example is the iconic T. rex image he designed for Michael Crichton’s Jurassic Park, already anticipating how it could be used for movie promotion.
Chip Kidd is a novelist (his first novel, The Cheese Monkeys, was published in 2001); he is the driving force behind the Pantheon graphic books program, which includes the work of Art Spiegelman, Chris Ware, and Marjane Satrapi; and he is also very active in the world of graphic design beyond books through his freelance work, which includes the art direction and cover design of Paul Simon’s latest album, Surprise. Bringing all his work together in 2005, Rizzoli published Chip Kidd: Book One, a collection of his jackets and the story of his life so far, introduced by John Updike and with contributions from authors David Sedaris, Donna Tartt, and Elmore Leonard.
Chip Kidd lectures frequently on graphic art and design, comics, and his book jacket work.
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Speaking Topics
Book Jackets I Have Known and Loved
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Video
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Praise for Chip Kidd
Chip Kidd does not look like the bookish type. After all, the word suggests someone who is shy, retiring and introverted. Kidd, by contrast, is boyishly ebullient, a quick-witted scene-stealer who seems more comfortable holding court at a noisy party than quietly contemplating life in a musty corner of a library. Yet few contemporary figures have had a bigger impact on the book world.
— National Post of CanadaPraise for Marvelocity
Marvelocity is everything a Ross fan could want in a coffee-table book, showcasing his mastery of covers, concepts, and content. There are original photo references, sketches that showcase his early evolution as a designer, and even adorable childhood scribblings. One walks away from Marvelocity realizing Alex Ross is truly sui generis and unlikely to ever be matched.” –
— Abraham Riesman, Vulture -
Books by Chip Kidd
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Media About Chip Kidd
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and Availability
- 212 572-2013
- Chip Kidd travels from New York, NY