Peter Mendelsund

Peter Mendelsund is a novelist, graphic designer, and the creative director of The Atlantic known for his book and magazine covers.[1][2]

Peter Mendelsund
EducationColumbia University (BA)
Mannes School of Music (MA)
Occupationbook designer, artistic director, novelist
EmployerThe Atlantic
Spouse(s)Karla Silverman
Parent(s)Benjamin Mendelsund
Judith C. Gimbel
FamilyTanya Melich (mother-in-law)
Bruce Alva Gimbel (grandfather)
Peter Gimbel (great-uncle)
Bernard Gimbel (great-grandfather)

Biography

Mendelsund grew up in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the son of Benjamin Mendelsund,[3] a Columbia-trained architect, and Judith Caton Gimbel, a high school history teacher whose great-great-grandfather, Adam Gimbel, founded the Gimbels department store.[2][4][5][6] Mendelsund's grandfather, Bruce Alva Gimbel, served as president of the Gimbels department store, as did his great-grandfather Bernard Gimbel.[5]

He graduated from Columbia University in 1991 as a philosophy major and received his master's degree in piano performance from the Mannes School of Music.[7][8][9]

Following his graduation, he struggled to make a living as a pianist before training himself in graphic design and was hired by Chip Kidd to work at Vintage Books.[10][11] He was later promoted to associate art director at Alfred A. Knopf and was art director of Pantheon Books and Vertical Press.[12][13] He has designed critically acclaimed book covers for James Joyce, Vladimir Nabokov, Simone de Beauvoir, Julio Cortázar, Fyodor Dostoevsky, and Stieg Larsson.[14][15][16][17] His book cover for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo has been praised by The Wall Street Journal as "one of the most instantly recognizable and iconic book covers in contemporary fiction in the U.S."[18]

During his tenure at Knopf, he also designed The Sewanee Review's first new cover in 73 years.[19] He designed the cover for The New Yorker's May 11, 2015 issue, titled "Injustice: Baltimore, 2015."[20]

In 2019, Mendelsund joined The Atlantic as its creative director, leading a redesign of the magazine.[21][22][23] Mendelsund is also an author of five books, including two novels.[24][25]

Mendelsund has been described by the New York Times as "one of the top designers at work today" and "the best book designer of his generation" by Wired.[2][17]

He was nominated for two Kitschie Awards, winning one in 2011.[26][27][28] He also won an Anthony Award in 2009 for his design of the book cover of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.[29]

Personal life

Mendelsund is married to Karla Silverman, daughter of women's right activist Tanya Melich, who co-founded the National Women's Political Caucus and was active in Republican Party politics.[9][30]

References
  1. Goldberg, Jeffrey (2019-11-12). "Introducing a New Look for The Atlantic". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2022-02-13.
  2. Alter, Alexandra (2014-07-28). "The Creative Art of Selling a Book by Its Cover". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-02-13.
  3. "Benjamin Mendelsund, Architect, 48". The New York Times. 1991-01-23. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-02-13.
  4. Times, Special to The New York TimesThe New York (1963-08-25). "Judith C. Gimbells Bride Of Benjamin Mendelsund". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-02-13.
  5. "Judith C. Gimbel Will Be Married Here in August; Daughter of Merchant Is Prospective Bride of Benjamin Mendelsund". The New York Times. 1963-07-16. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-02-13.
  6. "Buyer, Beware… Of a Condo Board's Right of First Refusal". Observer. 2007-09-07. Retrieved 2022-02-13.
  7. "Take Five with Peter Mendelsund '91". Columbia College Today. 2019-02-13. Retrieved 2022-02-13.
  8. "Peter Mendelsund '91 | Columbia College Today". www.college.columbia.edu. Retrieved 2022-02-13.
  9. "WEDDINGS; Karla Silverman, Peter Mendelsund". The New York Times. 1999-07-11. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-02-13.
  10. "Cover | Columbia College Today". www.college.columbia.edu. Retrieved 2022-02-13.
  11. "Los Angeles Review of Books". Los Angeles Review of Books. 2016-12-13. Retrieved 2022-02-13.
  12. Mendelsund, Peter (2014-08-07). "What's the Purpose of Book Jackets in a Digital World?". Slate Magazine. Retrieved 2022-02-13.
  13. "Under Cover: Peter Mendelsund and "The Snowman"". The New Yorker. 2010-11-12. Retrieved 2022-02-13.
  14. Shapton, Leanne (2014-09-26). "Peter Mendelsund's 90 Versions of Yes". T Magazine. Retrieved 2022-02-13.
  15. "The art of designing 'Ulysses,' 'Lolita' and 'The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo'". PBS NewsHour. 2014-08-27. Retrieved 2022-02-13.
  16. "Cover: an ode to Peter Mendelsund's creative book covers". Designer Daily: graphic and web design blog. 2014-06-29. Retrieved 2022-02-13.
  17. VanHemert, Kyle. "What Makes for a Brilliant Book Cover? A Master Explains". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved 2022-02-13.
  18. Fedor, Lauren (2010-07-16). "Making 'Tattoo' Indelible". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2022-02-13.
  19. "About". The Sewanee Review. Retrieved 2022-02-13.
  20. "Cover Story: Peter Mendelsund's "Injustice: Baltimore, 2015"". The New Yorker. 2015-05-01. Retrieved 2022-02-13.
  21. "The Atlantic Hires Renowned Publishing Design Team Peter Mendelsund and Oliver Munday". The Atlantic. 2018-12-20. Retrieved 2022-02-13.
  22. "The Atlantic redesign is "bold but classical, beautiful but spare"". www.itsnicethat.com. Retrieved 2022-02-13.
  23. Hays, Kali (2019-11-12). "From The Atlantic to 'A': The 162-Year-Old Magazine Gets a New Logo". WWD. Retrieved 2022-02-13.
  24. Newman, Andy (2021-02-09). "Numbers, Speed, Mystery: The World of the Delivery Worker". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-02-13.
  25. "Peter Mendelsund Is Done Being "The Book Designer"". InsideHook. Retrieved 2022-02-13.
  26. "The Kitschie awards have their Tentacles in the best genre fiction". the Guardian. 2012-01-13. Retrieved 2022-02-13.
  27. "Inky Tentacle (Cover Art) – The Kitschies". Retrieved 2022-02-13.
  28. Tor.com (2013-02-26). "The Winners of the 2012 Kitschies Have Been Announced". Tor.com. Retrieved 2022-02-13.
  29. Cogdill, Oline. "Anthony Award nominations". sun-sentinel.com. Retrieved 2022-02-13.
  30. "How Women Changed American Politics". The New Yorker. 2016-06-20. Retrieved 2022-02-13.
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