Jez Burrows was robbed. Also, Penguin cover art rocks.

I’m not only saying that Jez Burrows was robbed because Bronwyn (my hero) said it first. (Or because everyone else on the web seems to think so.)

I’m saying that Jez Burrows was robbed because this is one of the sexiest book covers I’ve seen all year:

That being said, this post is not about Jez Burrows or the fact that he was robbed. (After all, Jenna Jones’ submission was also great, as were most of the submissions that made the shortlist.) Instead, I want to congratulate Penguin for continuously pushing the envelope when it comes to cover design.

In my previous ruminations on book cover design, I gushed about Penguin’s Great Ideas series and the remarkable work they have done in fostering excellent cover art. The Great Ideas series and the Penguin Design Award are just two manifestations of the importance the publisher places on the design of their work.

What Penguin seems to understand more than many other publishers is that stories are not just told in the text of their books; cover art, typography, and even the shape and size of the published work are integral to enhancing the overall story.

Storytelling through design

A good storyteller doesn’t just tell you a tale. Instead, he or she creates an environment where you can be immersed, enraptured, and enthralled by the contents of the story. For a good storyteller, it’s not enough that you hear the story: you have to believe it, feel it, and live it.

As a publisher, Penguin Books is a phenomenal storyteller. They know that the power of the story is not in its content, but in its experience, and subsequently make all the right design choices to make that experience come alive.

You know all those predictions that say that the “book” as a format for consuming text is going to disappear? What they forget is that the book is not just a format for consuming text; instead, it is a physical artifact that serves as a reminder of a personal experience, a story lived. The book isn’t going to die anytime soon.

And I thank Penguin and their design team for helping to ensure the medium’s longevity.

On a total side note, the website for the Penguin Design Awards is gorgeous. Yet another example of great Penguin design.

Head of Magic is an awesome job title

My current gig as a policy analyst with the government aside, my job title in my freelance consulting career is ‘storyteller’ or some variant of the storytelling theme.

So when I read this quote on Put Things Off today (yes, I know it is an old post), I was, well, extremely put off:

Your job title isn’t the place to be creative. If you craft beautiful logos, kern type all day and your best friend is a certain lady called Helvetica, you’re most likely a Graphic Designer. If you design for the web, you are a Web Designer. If you code for the web, you are a Web Developer. If you craft crisp, concise, colourful copy, you are a Writer. If you run a commercial blog, you are a Blogger. If you sell photographs, you are a Photographer.

I couldn’t disagree more.

Now, I’ll admit that there are too many freelancers that use non-descriptive canned titles like “creative” and “director,” but I’d argue that there is a lot of room for creativity in a job title when it aptly describes what you do.

On being Head of Magic

One of my favorite people in Toronto — and one of the best marketers I have ever met — currently works at Freshbooks. His name is Saul Colt, and his title at Freshbooks is Head of Magic.

It might sound odd to you, but his job title is perfect. Saul’s job is really magical: he turns everyday product users into fans, evangelists, and spokespeople. By reaching out to every customer in the manner that that touches them most dearly, he facilitates transformations among Freshbooks users.

On top of all that, like a true magician, Saul Colt is a true showman. He doesn’t just talk about his product — instead, he engages his audience and makes them believe like they’re a part of the magic as well. Unlike most magicians, however, Saul does not keep his tricks a secret. Instead, he shares his wisdom and ideas on his blog so that we can all learn from him. Which, I guess, is why he’s the Head of Magic instead of just a magician.

If Saul had any other title than Head of Magic, I’m sure he’d do his job equally well. If Nick Cernis had his way, Saul would probably be called Marketing Lead or something mundane like that. But a title of Marketing Lead doesn’t really describe what Saul does; he’s not just a marketer, but instead is truly magical in the way he makes every single user feel like they’re the most important person in the world.

On being a Storyteller

As the example above demonstrates, your job title doesn’t have to be boring, but it has to be descriptive.

A few years ago, when I decided to get into content consulting, I struggled with finding a title that would adequately describe what I do. A lot of my work involved writing, but I wasn’t a writer. A lot of my work involved strategy, but I wasn’t really a strategist. A ton of my work involved coming up with ideas, but innovator didn’t really do the trick either.

What I realized very quickly though, is that whether I was coming up with ideas, strategy, or words, in the end I was helping people accomplish one important goal: to tell their story in the best possible way to the right people. I was, in fact, a storyteller. (I’ve since realized that storyteller not only serves as a great job title, but also describes what I do in my personal life as well.)

I tell stories. I’m a storyteller. According to Nick Cernis, my chosen job title would probably be considered frivolous and detrimental to my reputation. On the contrary, I think it describes me perfectly.

On sharing the love

Oh, and one more tidbit: I’ve been writing for blogTO for a few years now, and most of what I do for the blog is share my love for the city of Toronto. Someone once told me that every single time I speak about my city, it’s like I’m giving it a big hug.

I guess it’s not surprising that on my blogTO business card, my title is “Hugger Extraordinaire.” If nothing else, it provides a great way to get conversation going. Plus, everyone that reads it inevitably asks for a hug, and I’m always looking to share the love.

What is your job title? Does it adequately describe what you do? If you could create your own job title, what would it be?