Anna Jordan

Anna Jordan is a book cover designer based in Rochester. New York. USA Her award-winning work explores the dvnamic intersection of typography and materials. offering a unique artistic perspective. By combining analog and digital techniques, Anna has developed a distinctive design process that infuses her covers with both handcrafted charm and modern precision.

How has your design style evolved since you started your career, and what key experiences have influenced this evolution?

My design style evolved (and continues to evolve) based on all sorts of limitations, which I view as positive forces that create room for opportunity. My living space, studio space, the types of projects clients send me, events happening in the world, changes in technology – all of these factors impact my design style. There have been years where I did all my work on a laptop with just a tiny scanner and a table. At other times, my studio space and range of available tools has been much larger. Some clients may ask for experimental work and leave the brief wide open, others may want a different type of look or give very specific art direction. Looking at my portfolio is like seeing a photo album of my life; each piece is a marker of where I was and who I was at that time.
If I had to pick one key experience that influenced my design style, it would be my education at Rhode Island School of Design, and the amazing professors Nancy Skolos and Thomas Wedell. Skolos and Wedell have a truly innovative approach to working with type and image. Their process and mentorship frames the way I think about every aspect of graphic design.

Your book cover designs are known for their tactile and innovative use of materials. What is your process for conceptualizing and executing these designs?

I look for materials that have qualities that intuitively align with the concepts I need to communicate. The text tells me what to do. I read the manuscript and highlight key words and then use those words as direction about which materials to choose and images to make. For example, for the cover Capitalism in the Web of Life, I needed a material that had an accumulating, swarm-like quality. Glass beads were perfect for that expression. Then, I explore the material’s image-making possibilities by carrying out a series of experiments to figure out how that material could become type, or could be combined with type. I structure these type/image-making experiments around a morpholgy I created called Subject, Material, Tool. Essentially, I look at the material from three perspectives and figure out how to make images in each category. One single material can become many different images by approaching it as a subject, a material, and a tool.

What advice would you give to aspiring designers who are just starting their careers? Are there any skills or techniques you would recommend for aspiring designers to learn to enhance their work?

Advice: Work really hard, but not at the expense of your mental and physical health. Don’t work all the time. Take time to have fun and enjoy your life with loved ones. In order to make great design, the designer needs to be healthy, happy, well-rested. All the non-design life stuff is really important.
Skills and techniques: Be an obsessive student of typogrpahy, now and always. Never stop studying typography. I believe that typography sets good designers apart from great designers. There is a craft and sensitivity in excellent typography that makes a design shine, and this cannot be faked. Type is what defines Graphic Design as an art from, separate from photography, illustration, etc.. Typography belongs to graphic designers – it’s solidly ours. So become the best typographer you can possibly be. Plus, typography is so cool, interesting, and fun!

Can you share any habits or routines that you believe have been crucial to your success as a designer? As a passionate competitive swimmer and a dedicated graphic designer, do you find any parallels between the discipline and focus required in swimming and your approach to design? How does your experience in competitive swimming influence your creative process or work ethic?

I love habits and crave routine. A few essential habits to my life are daily exercise, practicing good nutrition, and checking in with my family. I rely on exercise to stay mentally and physically healthy. Exercise is the metronome to my whole life; I am totally lost without it. Swimming is a lifelong sport that requires practice, disicipline, attention to detail, and periods of discomfort. All of these things are required in design, too. Swimming is a form of drawing. As I’m swimming, I think about the lines my body is drawing through the water, the angle my elbow makes as I pull, and the geometry present in the whole movement experience. The swimming pool is a nice place to think and daydream. I work out projects in my head while I stare at the black line at the bottom of the pool.

From your experience as a professor at RIT, what skills or techniques do you find most important for new designers to learn to enhance their work?

Typography; as described above. Type for the win. Image-making is also important. Original image-making is a way to open up more visual communication possibilities, and to make one’s work unique. Any designer can use the same stock image. I emphasize the importance of being able to make one’s own original images to my students. We talk a lot about the value of learning many skills and techniques, and then figuring out how to combine them. Analog-digital synthesis is more interesting to me than purely analog techniques or purely digital techniques. I encourage students to use everything at their disposal, whether that is materials, tools, technology, or software. Be curious and willing to learn new skills and techniques all the time. Learning how to be a graphic designer doesn’t end when we graduate; that’s just the beginning.

Additionally, how has your teaching experience shaped your approach to mentoring new designers? Can you share any significant insights or lessons you've learned from teaching and working with aspiring designers?

My approach as a teacher is to be my students’ biggest cheerleader. I encourage them to find their own voice, to be confident in their decision making. I want students to feel supported by me, and know I believe in them. Cheerleader-Professor is the best way to describe it. I want to help them succeed in their chosen field.
I’m continually impressed by how talented and brilliant my students are. They are constantly teaching me new things about technology, trends, and culture. I teach graduate students who come to Rochester Institute of Technology from all over the world. They have taught me new technical skills, new features in software, all sorts of interesting typographic things about different languages, and more. They introduce me to amazing examples of artists and designers that I wouldn’t otherwise learn about, because I’m not on social media. I learn so much from my students and look forward to our class discussions.

Kayleigh Denner
Sophie Aschan
Tina Touli

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