Interview: Ishan Khosla, winner, Oxford Bookstore Book Cover Prize 2022 – “The cover plays a big role in attracting readers”

How do you feel about getting this recognition?

It is quite an honour. In India, unlike the West, we don’t have many awards for book cover design. That makes it even more special. Here, there is certainly a lack of appreciation or even understanding of the work that goes into designing a book cover. It is an art form in itself. You have to convey the essence of an entire book on a small piece of paper. As the designer of the cover, you have to help sell the book. The cover has to look bold, exciting, and interesting, and you have to also remain true to the author’s vision. It is tough to accomplish this. Apart from looking good, the cover has to have some substance. It has to be meaningful.

What was the brief that the publisher gave you for the cover of Kintsugi?

From my interaction with the publisher and the author, I got the sense that the book was trying to present a series of interconnected stories with fragility as one of the common threads. It is a very tender book. It goes between Jaipur and Japan. I am a big fan of both places. I have been there many times, and immersed myself in that ethos, culture, and geography. One of the characters moves from New York to India; that reminded me of my own return home.

Before I start designing the cover, I like to read the book. It’s really important to do that as a designer. It is important to speak to the author and the publisher to understand how they see the book and how they would like to present it. It helps while visualising.

Did you feel an emotional connection with the book?

Yes! The markets in Jaipur, the world of jewellery making, the visit to Mount Fuji in Japan, all those bits about New York – everything felt so familiar to me. I found the story very moving. I liked the fact that Anukrti kept it a bit open-ended. The reader is invited to take the pieces and put them together, a bit like filling a puzzle or completing a picture. I wanted to bring this metaphor into the cover. I tried using five different pieces of ceramics to explore the qualities and traits of five different characters in the novel.

I did about three to four versions of the cover. They were all quite different from each other. The one thing that was a common element throughout was this idea of conservation, of renewal.

Since you have travelled to Japan, you must have been familiar with the practice of kintsugi – the Japanese art of mending broken objects with gold – before this novel.

Yes! Around 2016, my wife and I did a project together, working with shards. I am quite fascinated with ancient pottery, Harappan shards in particular, because of the stories they tell about people and civilizations, tools and techniques.

We were mainly interested in South Asian shards, but we also learnt about kintsugi. It is fun to compare this with the practice of rafu that we have in India, where we try to mend clothes. With rafu, the part that you mend is almost hidden. With kintsugi, there is a celebration of imperfection. I’m not sure if that’s the right way to put it. It is a bit hard to explain. It’s almost human, right? Like, I have scar tissue because I had a few surgeries when I was younger. Sometimes, I feel like, oh my God, I have these scars and gashes, and then I suddenly remember how it’s all part of the fragility and beauty of being human. The capacity to see beauty in what is distorted or broken is very powerful, and it is definitely part of our culture here in India too.

When did you begin designing covers?

I did work on a few book covers before I went off to the School of Visual Arts to do an MFA in Design. New York had a substantial impact on my practice. One of my first internships was with the publisher Farrar, Straus and Giroux on Union Square. It was a great experience. Besides that, I got to learn from some really good designers in the United States. Some of the book designers that I love are Chip Kidd, John Gall, and Jonathan Gray.

What materials and media do you typically like to work with?

I love to be hands-on, and actually make tangible things. I like experimenting with typography. But a lot depends on what a book really asks for. A lot of times, I just end up working on the computer. On some occasions, I get my hands dirty. For the cover of Kintsugi, I tried out a variety of things. I did some covers where I literally broke ceramics, and then figured out how the shards might look on the cover. The hilarious part is that my wife is a ceramic designer, so she was shocked that I was breaking ceramics. Of course, I was not breaking anything that she had created. I was trying out some creative stunts with other pieces.

Purchasing decisions are often influenced by book covers. Do you think book cover designers are paid in accordance with the impact they have on sales?

Not at all! The reader’s first interface with the book is through the cover but book cover designers are not paid anywhere near what they should be paid based on their impact. With authors who are well-established, say Amitav Ghosh or Arundhati Roy, the name itself draws the reader. With younger, less established authors, the cover plays a big role in attracting readers.

Designers have different challenges in both contexts. Authors with a big fan following cannot be complacent either. They have to live up to expectations, and also try to reach new audiences. A book cover is not a painting done on a whim. It requires a sound concept, and a lot of thought.

Have you ever heard from readers who bought a book because of your cover and then ended up feeling cheated because the author did not deliver what the cover promised?

Wow! That’s an interesting question. I don’t know if something like this has happened because I do not really get to be in touch with readers. That’s the case with most designers.

Apart from the cover that got you this prize, which others are you proud of?

I enjoyed working on the cover of Kishore Bhimani’s book The Accidental Godman (2012). I’m very proud of that cover because we really experimented a lot with typography for it. Before Kintsugi, I designed covers for two other books written by Anukrti -- Daura and Bhaunri (2019). Both books are based in Rajasthan. I am proud of the covers. They are graphic and have the power to grab attention.

Another cover that I feel proud of is of Dirk Collier’s The Emperor’s Writings: Memories of Akbar the Great (2011). I had to work with Ashraf Ansari, who did the Urdu calligraphy. The interesting part is that, historically speaking, Akbar is thought to have been illiterate. There are no records of letters written by him. The novel, however, is a work of historical fiction. It features writings from Emperor Akbar to his son Jahangir. Since the art of writing is really important to the book, we decided to use Islamic calligraphy to create a portrait of Akbar sitting and holding a rose in his hand. I really like experimenting with typefaces.

Tell us about The Typecraft Initiative that you are involved with.

This initiative is all about working with South Asian craftswomen to create beautifully designed typefaces from traditional crafts practised in rural and tribal communities. The idea behind this is to recognise that we are stuck in a colonial mindset where the mind is considered superior to the hand, so the designer is always valued more than the craftsperson. Designers usually gain a lot from their interactions with craftspeople, but the reverse is not true.

We hold workshops for craftspeople so that they can learn design skills and apply their minds to think of new forms and possibilities on their own instead of being heavily dependent on designers. Craftspeople often come from communities that are marginalised or discriminated against. A major part of the initiative is to create a sustainable income for community members. We also want to spark off conversations around gender discrimination and minority rights.

You have been working on a book. What is it about it?

I have no idea when the book project will be completed but it is based on my research on the informal economy of urban India. My plan is to focus on lessons that I have learnt from people who live and work on the street with limited resources, people who innovate and upcycle. They may not know any of these terms, but they have much to teach designers like myself.

Chintan Girish Modi is an independent writer, journalist and book reviewer.