Cardon Webb creates jazz-inspired book covers for new Ralph Ellison collection

Ralph Ellison is the kind of seminal author with which designers have to be pretty careful, and that might explain why many previous covers of his novels have tended to be fairly muted. But New York-based Cardon Webb’s new set of designs for Ellison’s books are inspired by the art and typography of mid 20th Century jazz records to bring out “the raucous, colourful energy of his (Ellison’s) prose.” There’s another link too, as Ellison was a massive music fan and the resulting covers are something else.