www.illustrationweb.com/hannahfirmin
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Hannah Firmin’s press, the design of which dates back to the 1830s
to hummingbird hawk moths. That’s one point why you have to read the
book because you could have gone really wrong there,” she laughs.
Even without tropical birds, the final image is rich, rustic and
full of life. All the elements were made on the press in her workshop
then collaged together into the final composition. It’s how she always
works and clients come to Hannah because she has really come to own
that particular look. “You stick with a technique because you love it,”
she says. “I’m not going to suddenly start changing. Obviously you have
to adapt and revive it again with different tricks, but stick with your
personal, individual style. Fashions come and go.”
The book market, she points out, is changing fast with
supermarkets, the major booksellers and Amazon all influencing jacket
design. Yet there are so many samey, indistinct covers these days, with
vague photos, blurred or silhouetted characters and large text. Perhaps
it’s no wonder bookshops are closing. For Hannah, bold and colourful
work will always be effective. “I think of it as the packaging for the book
so it’s got to be eye-catching.”
She’s no longer doing the No1 Ladies’ Detective Agency. It is
unusual for a long-running book series to have maintained its original
cover look for ten years and perhaps this explains why, despite the huge
success of Hannah