Murphy Givens – Columns 2009-2001

Jeff Chilcoat, Art Director of Chilcoat Studios was recently asked by local historian and publisher, Jim Moloney to design a book cover.  This book would be a compilation of stories written by one of Corpus Christi’s most prolific writers and historian, Murphy Givens.   After meeting with Mr. Givens it was clear that I needed to design a cover that captured his quietness, his simplicity and humility.  What was needed was a classic image, a portrait of a man in a simple pose looking right at his audience. With a light that would reveal the quiet dignity and love of clarity that he obviously possessed, I needed to capture his image in black and white.  With a look from a time and era that he was born, I tried to create a personal, close look into the man as he looked back.

When I proposed this creative direction to both Moloney and Givens, Mr. Givens was immediately apprehensive.  He was concerned that people would think it would make him look boastful or ego-driven.  But he is far from vain or egocentric. He was inclined to reject my art direction immediately.  But I assured him what I was trying to create was a portrait and an insight into his personality and his life as a writer.  I wanted to be true to who he really is, the man his friends, colleagues and wife know so well.  I didn’t know him very well, but sometimes in a brief moment, you can see things in a persons face, in their voice and demeanor, that communicate years of their life and work.  This was my goal, to capture the story that Mr. Givens face tells, the years and lives he has influenced and his passion for writing about life, past and present.

Graphic design and art have always been a source passion for me.  Working on a project like this, one that is so personal for a client is the most rewarding to me as a designer.  A designer has to take great care when given this trust and treat the task with great respect.  Because it is someone’s life that you are putting on display, not just a face.  Who says you can’t judge a book by it’s cover?  This book invites you to do just that.  Unapologetic and putting it all on the line, Murphy Givens looks right back at you.