In the text, Bunny Modern is the brand name of a line of baby accessories, including cribs and mobiles. The protagonist describes the logo of these items as a bunny face with a safety helmet. This was the first choice for the cover image, but I found it to be too limiting, and perhaps too juvenile. “Bunny Modern” sounded slightly more classic to me —largely because “modern,” the adjective, was placed second. Images of mid-century modern, I thought, would be more appropriate, and definitely more attractive. Also, with the late ’90s obsession with ’50s and early ’60s icons and motifs, I felt the cover would appeal to a hipper audience.

To keep the images tied to the narrative, I included a baby mobile and a crib and illustrated these items as if they had been designed by Calder and by Charles and Ray Eames, respectively. Perfect for the spine would be a tall, slim bunny reference to Giacometti.