Meet the designer behind the look of the 21st-century book
In an industry ruled by #BookTok trends, Rodrigo Corral has become the publishing industry’s go-to designer by creating an undefinable style.
There’s one big thing about Rodrigo Corral that does not initially make sense: The book cover maestro does not have a signature style.
Consider his chameleonic cover hits. The Fault in Our Stars. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. Survivor, Lullaby and the rest of Chuck Palahniuk’s catalog. Rachel Cusk’s books. James Frey’s controversial A Million Little Pieces, the cover that helped launch Corral into ubiquity. Recent collaborative output like Intermezzo and Mojave Ghost. The books don’t have obvious visual connective tissue between them—but somehow, as creative director of Farrar, Straus and Giroux and his eponymous studio, Corral has spent the past three decades quietly redefining the look of the modern book again and again.