For this memoir of a boyhood in 1950s Queens, I initially went the traditional route and used several of the author’s personal photos of the time. The editor felt the result was adequate but standard. The editor-in-chief thought it was just plain boring. “Why not make it look like a newspaper?” he wisely asked. So I did.

I should also point out here that this the fifth book I’ve worked on for this author, and they all look completely different—a testament to his faith in the pluralism of design.