02 03 04COMPUTERARTS.CREATIVEBLOQ.COMPROJECT DIARY SEPTEMBER 2019
“The palette
works as a
gradient, so
we thought of
it almost like a
brand palette
for Ubik”
02-04 La Boca
took an active role
in the book’s
design. These
images test the
modular geometric
lettering that ScotBendall and the
studio team
wanted to use for
the book’s title
and, importantly,
the slipcase
die-cut.05 Consumerism
is a reoccurring
theme in the book.
This image was
developed as a
possible
illustration, but thespray can was
considered to
be too literal
and so the
Fractured Fairy
was created by
La Boca instead.It helps to unify them, but wasn’t designed to
be a dominant feature. The palette works as a
gradient, so we thought of it almost like a brand
palette for Ubik.
During the development of the inside
illustrations, Raquel Leis Allion had the idea to
extend the glitch pattern in the first illustration
and use it as the end papers so that they lead
directly into the opening image. I thought this
was a nice idea, but my heart sank a little. It was
inspired by glitch patterns but wasn’t computer-
generated so, perhaps ironically, became the
most labour-intensive image to create.
The feedback on the illustrations was
always constructive, and usually only about
refinements. The only image that drastically
changed through the process was the page for
Archer’s Drugs, but this was primarily because
my original idea for it wasn’t working out. I had
wanted to make this image abstract, but once
put in context with the rest of the illustrations,
it became clear that the style of it wasn’t going
to work with the rest of the book. After a few
unsuccessful attempts at it, we decided toabandon the image completely and approach the
same idea from a different direction.THE VERDICT
By Tom Walker and Raquel Leis Allion
La Boca were great to work with. It was confident
suggesting ideas and responsive to making the
changes. Talking to Bendall and Carey about
the endpaper designs we thought that the mind
scramble within the image for the frontispiece
could make a great pattern. Now, when readers
look closely at it they may see something they
didn’t at first realise was there.
This edition of Ubik has had universally
positive feedback. We have published Philip K
Dick before, so Ubik felt like the next natural
step. I know fans of his work have been enthused
by our commissioning of the great Kim Stanley
Robinson to write the introduction, and La Boca’s
illustrations are so inventive and thrilling.
La Boca have helped us create a modern
version of one of Philip K Dick’s great classics,
which will ensure that his work continues to
reach its deserved audience.JULIE FARQUHAR
Senior production manager, The Folio Society
Julie Farquhar first joined The Folio Society in 1995
as a production assistant. She later went to Japan
for four years to teach English, and returned as
senior production manager because she loves
working on the exciting and varied books that The
Folio Society publishes.