Oxford University Press

One of Oxford University Press’s flagship title needed a creative touch to show-off the treasure-house of over seven centuries of English poetry. Poems chosen and introduced by Christopher Ricks, whom Auden described as ‘exactly the kind of critic every poet dreams of finding’. The Oxford Book of English Verse, created in 1900 by Arthur Quiller-Couch and selected anew in 1972 by Helen Gardner, has established itself as the foremost anthology of English poetry.

As the Senior Designer for this project I was appointed design lead and with the help of the design team, created a stunning cover that reflected the poetic history of the verse. Typographic flourishes and classic fonts mixed with hand drawn illustrations helped give this book the recognition it deserved.

Nineteenth century head and tail band were used in production as a subtle nod to the creation of the original book, along with end papers that echoed elements of the cover design.

For the launch day at Oxford University Press we commissioned hand drawn wrapping for the books, that were pre-signed by the author.

Design, Creative & Artwork.