Puffin by Design

Late in 1939 a chance meeting between Penguin founder, Allen Lane, and natural history publisher, Noel Carrington, changed the future of children's publishing with the formation of a series called Puffin Picture Books.

The first four titles appeared in 1940 and the series quickly established a reputation for presenting children's non-fiction in a unique blend of editing and design. Puffin Story Books soon followed with the publication of Worzel Gummidge in 1941 and, like the original launch of Penguin itself, these story books appeared in the three horizontal stripe design.

Looking back at seventy years of Puffin paperbacks, Phil Baines charts the development of Puffin and the role of illustrators and designers in creating and defining the identity of the Puffin list from the very first picture book through to modern day.

Rich with stunning cover and inside illustrations, and filled with detail of individual titles, Phil discusses the changes in typography, illustration and printing techniques over Puffin's spectacular 70-year history.

An extraordinary and beautiful book, this is a perfect companion to Penguin By Design.

About the Author

Phil Baines was born in Kendal, Westmorland in 1958. He graduated from St Martin's School of Art in 1985 and the Royal College of Art in 1987, and is now Professor of Typography at Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London. He has written extensively for the design press as well as three books : Type & Typography (2002, with Andrew Haslam); Signs, Lettering in the Environment (2003, with Catherine Dixon), and Penguin by Design : A Cover Story 1935-2005 (2005).