“You’re always capable of growth if you’re seeking it”
Edition 13: An interview with book designer Nicole Caputo
A selection of Catapult Book covers designed by Nicole (image courtesy of Nicole Caputo)
I don’t think I’m alone in loving books as objects, not just works as of fiction or sources of information. For an intense period, a book you fall for goes with you wherever you go, and absorbs every spare moment; like a torrid affair, pulling you in to briefly cheat on your titanium, object-spouse, the phone. And the particular cover for a book you adore — especially in teenage years, when what you like defines who you are — can leave a lasting impression on your visual memory: The color, font or imagery acting as a trigger to nostalgia forever more.
For instance, a loose, pastel-colored illustration reminds me of my worn copy of E.M. Forster’s A Room With A View, and wishing I too was running through the fields outside Florence. Hazy blue photographs of women on train stations will forever take me back to the feeling of grateful escapism into the Sebastian Faulks novel I was reading while hiding from a boyfriend I didn’t want to date anymore, stuck in a Swiss vacation house with him and his parents. The pleasing orange minimalism of a shelf of Penguin classics brings a smile to my face, transporting me to my childhood living room in 80s Britain.
Only once I began working alongside graphic designers did I fully appreciate the power of all the little decisions that go into creating something like a book cover, and how rare it is to find designers who have true vision combined with practical savviness for what that small, limited canvas needs to do: help sell the book. It’s a delicate balancing act, and many are too heavy handed to pull it off. Most books out there look generic, driven by the fear of the designers and the ‘design by committee’ decision-makers at the publishing house: Fear of alienating people, and thus grossly underestimating their book-buying audiences — assuming they need literal images of characters or scenes from the book to connect.
Then, there are a handful of designers who dare to aim high, giving us books we want to read that are also objects we want to keep. Nicole Caputo, Creative Director at Catapult Books and Counterpoint Press, is one of those brave, brilliant book designers.
Nicole was drawn to digital design from a young age. “I loved computers, my Dad loved computers, I used to build computers and became very interested in the graphics programs,” she told me recently. But it was serendipity at the admissions desk at the School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York, where she’d gone to study computer art, that led her to focus on graphic design: “The guy told me I had a great eye and I would be well suited to it. And I loved it.” While there, her love for literature led her to finish the course with an entire portfolio of book covers, which led to a career in book design. In 2017, Nicole took on the role at Catapult Books & Counterpoint Press, where she has helped to establish a bold, distinctive identity for their list of books, designing covers herself and in collaboration with a host of talented designers and illustrators that she directs.
Nicole now lives with her husband, Adam, in Phoenicia, NY, where she finds quiet to focus on her work, and revels in nature after many years in the city. One of her instagram feeds is literally wild — including incredible night camera footage of the “wildlife corridor” of bears, bobcats and coyotes that like to wander across their property. Here is more from my conversation with Nicole.
Nicole at her home in Phoenicia (image courtesy of Nicole Caputo)
AJL: Nicole, it is so lovely to connect with you. Tell me a little more about your path as a book designer, and what led you to your current position. It feels like a good story for those in need of a reminder that every successful career has its ups and downs!
NC: When I was younger I was very interested in fine arts and then got cold feet on that front because I was a little nervous about making money, and I didn’t have great self esteem around my skill set despite many of my teachers and my family believing in me. I worked at Long Island NewsDay — putting together their newspapers — then I later ended up going to SVA to study graphic design.
I always loved books and reading and book covers, and many of my teachers at SVA were talented, well-known cover designers. Against my thesis teachers’ advice, my entire portfolio was basically made up of handbound books, including designed covers with my illustrations filling the insides. Straight out of school I was hired by a magazine publisher but really was not inspired by the work, which felt much less creative than I had hoped for even in that young stage of my career. I was offered a job at Perseus Books for a much lower salary and accepted it, working my way up from Junior to VP, Creative Director. Perseus was made up of three imprints at the time, including Basic Books, and a small fiction imprint — Counterpoint Press — that I would become the Art Director of. Counterpoint quickly began to do very well, then, while I was on vacation visiting my brother in Alaska, the imprint was sold! I was heartbroken and found myself really missing working on fiction later on.
I stayed on with Basic Books for 12 years. Over time, I decided I wanted to work on a more varied list of fiction and non-fiction titles. I was taking on fiction titles independently as a freelancer and was excited to be reunited with the process of designing those types of books again. Of course, you’re always capable of growth if you're seeking it — but I wasn’t growing in the way I wanted to at the job I was in. I started dreaming about starting my own design studio. Then I went to Book Expo BEA and a friend said “There’s Andy Hunter [Publisher of Catapult and Counterpoint Press, which merged, and Founder & CEO of Bookshop.org], maybe you should speak to him about freelancing for Counterpoint?” So, we talked for a bit then Andy said, “Are you sure you’re only interested in freelance?”
I kind of suffered for a while, wanting to be challenged again by my work, but I was so afraid to go out on my own. Then, as soon as I made a decision to leave, this opportunity appeared and it really seemed perfect. I was really excited about it — it was independent and there was a lot to be done at Catapult: Establishing the brand, finding the right designers for us, forming a house style and systems to support a new art department.
That sense of excitement really shows through the work you’re doing. Who have you been inspired and influenced by along the way?
Paul Sahre — my thesis teacher. He really taught me quite a lot about design thinking, that your work needed to have meaning, and how to go about creating concept-driven design. He is really brilliant and minimal in his approach. Richard Poulin — my typography teacher. I only had him for half a semester, but he taught me that you had to have a reason behind every decision you made, every typeface that you chose. I once said “I was playing with this typeface” as I was explaining my work, and he came back with “You do not play with a typeface!” That stuck with me.
A cover that Nicole designed herself for Paulina Flores’ book ‘Humiliation’
I’m curious about how you get to the “right” design for a book as a Creative Director? How much do you need to connect with the story itself, and how do you choose and collaborate with different designers?
For fiction, 95% of the time I read the whole book; if non-fiction, sometimes just a few chapters. Generally I print out 50-100 pages at a time, and say ‘OK, do I have enough here?’ Often, I end up printing another 50, and another 50, because sometimes there’s an Easter egg in the last chapter that gives you an additional concept of direction to go in. If time allows, I like to work on one at a time but often need to layer projects. A few seasons ago there was a real connection between the covers and I think that had something to do with tight deadlines; I was working with no gaps and it was like this big, inspired gallery show, with each cover feeling unique but also connected. I think that has served Catapult and Counterpoint well, creating a noticeable visual identity for each imprint.
I’ve changed the way I art direct over the years. I put a lot of work into how our cover memos are outlined — receiving input from the editors, authors and other heads of departments, and some comps from them [Editor’s note: Comps are examples of covers they would like the designer to emulate]. I mostly like to give designers creative freedom, so I usually do not provide incredibly heavy art direction at the start, perhaps just a few general notes, with the bulk of the art direction coming in once they have gotten started. In order for that approach to be successful, I am careful with selecting the right designer from the start, which is an important but often overlooked part of our job.
It’s rare but sometimes I will co-design with a designer if I have a strong idea but do not have the time to handle the project myself; but I know I like to feel an ownership and trust over my own projects when I design, so I try to give this to all designers I work with. I am dead set against micro managing projects. Designers I love to work with include Na Kim (who did Dead Souls, and Hao), Jaya Miceli and Robin Bilardello, and our spectacularly talented in-house team of designers: Dana Li and Lexi Earle.
How would you describe the house style that you have helped create for the Catapult books, and which covers are you most proud of?
Obviously the content of the book will ultimately drive the direction of the cover, but for the Catapult imprint we always want to retain a hand-done, more artful style. We lean towards very bold and usually very brightly colored (nothing too drab); a lot of illustration is used, not quite as much photography. We work with many debut authors so I try to give their covers punch, creating something that is eye-catching so the books get noticed.
Some of the covers I’ve designed that I am most proud of are Fake Accounts, The Crying Book, Pop Song, Insomnia, Godshot and Sankofa; and ones that I have art directed which are beloved and have served the books well are: Sea Monsters designed by Strick and Williams, and White Tears Brown Scars designed by Na Kim. And My Heart, designed by Dana Li is stunning.
A cover that Nicole designed herself for Chelsea Bieker’s ‘Godshot’
There are definite trends in book design. How do they influence you and your work?
I am influenced by them and I actually think trends are not such a bad thing — there is an art form here but we are selling a product, and trends indicate what audiences are drawn to. There’s nothing wrong with a trend as long as you don’t lean on it too heavily, and it can actually create greater challenges to make the trend new each time. I ask myself and I ask the design team to ask themselves: Can this cover go on any other book? What makes the design perfect for this particular book?
Right now, there’s a lot of larger, bolder type, depth created by using the image integrated into type, and shadows — because we’re seeing so much on screen, and while scrolling, and need something to stand out quickly. Sometimes complete minimalism will stop people in their tracks, and adding depth and a dimensionality will also do that.
A bear in Nicole’s back yard in Phoenicia (image courtesy of Nicole Caputo)
Finally, what drew you to Phoenicia, and how is the immersion in nature impacting your life and creativity?
We’re so happy to be up here. We’ve been coming to the Hudson Valley for many years, celebrating every wedding anniversary and coming up for many staycations and weekend trips. Adam had spent many of his childhood years enjoying the creek and woods in Phoenicia, so we have deep roots and had developed many friendships during our trips up. We had been saving money to one day buy some dreamy weekend house. Then the pandemic hit and I was in the middle of medical treatment and suddenly the opportunities for weekend escapes — the Airbnbs, the friends’ cabins — disappeared for safety reasons, and we were both stuck in our apartment in Queens because of my weakened immune system, literally not even walking down the hallway to retrieve the mail more than once per week. So, we said let’s just try to purchase the house we have the money to buy now, and we fell in love with the land our house is set on.
There is so much wildlife here. We are surrounded by water and also protected wilderness forest, so bears, coyotes, bobcats, deer and every other creature that resides here come right across our property, it’s thrilling. When I was diagnosed, I had told Adam I didn’t have any regrets but for the remainder of my hopefully very long life I wanted to be surrounded by animals. It has been an amazing place to create and heal. Facing mortality, I have spent much more time thinking about how I want to leave this world and what I want my impact upon it to be while I am here . So, one of the missions I have is to be very conscious of what is here on the land, in the community, and how I can add to it mindfully. Contributing to this beautiful slice of land that has given us so much is something I am passionate about. Restoring biodiversity here through the planting of native species, providing shelter and water and nesting sites for animals and insects, and using my creativity in the gardens, all has been deeply rewarding.
A bobcat in the snow outside Nicole’s house (image courtesy of Nicole Caputo)
Thank you, Nicole, for sharing your journey with me.
Check out Nicole’s other instagram feed @nlcaputo for regular doses of beautiful book design (and for great book recommendations, obviously.) I personally love ‘Dead' Souls’ by Sam Riviere, because I’m a sucker for hot pink and collage. And you too can find native plants to add to your yard at the wonderful Catskill Native Nursery — a favorite haunt of Nicole’s.
Don’t miss local events coming up this month: Hudson Sankofa Black Arts & Cultural Festival Parade in the Hudson Riverfront Park on August 14th & 15th; and Upstate Art Weekend taking place at venues all over the region on August 27-29th.