VINTAGE CLASSICS DICKENS SERIES
Charles Dickens is the mind behind some of the world’s best known fictional characters, with his books enjoying a lasting appeal up to this day. Vintage Books has brought together six of his works in a highly desirable collection for publication. Here, the designer explains the lead up to the creation of this new series:
‘Years ago I had bought a cushion featuring strange Victorian characters within a black and white pattern designed by Ellie Curtis, a printmaker and textile designer based in London. Her work is all beautifully handmade and screen-printed and I had long wanted to commission her. I started by researching Victorian patterns and labels and how Dickens had previously been portrayed.
Dickens excelled in the creation of characters, and they would be a vital component of the new series design. The idea was for Ellie to feature the characters within a “Victorian” pattern, inspired by that cushion. The palette was based on tones used in the original Dickens illustrations by Pollock. We intended from the start to add black smoky edges to the pages, framing the covers to evoke the grimy industrial age described by Dickens. The titles have been letterpress printed and are set within a consistent panel’.
Ellie Curtis is represented by Glory illustration.
