Book Design
Book Design & Typesetting
I primarily work as a book designer and typesetter alongside art directors, authors, artists and publishers including Verso Books, Bloomsbury Publishing, Penguin Random House and the National Gallery of Victoria.
Select Clients
Verso Books
Penguin Random House
Bloomsbury Publishing
National Gallery of Victoria
Services
Cover Design
Internal/Page Design
Typesetting
Ebook Production
Select projects
The State of Capitalism
Economy, Society, and Hegemony
Costas Lapavitsas
A design that illustrates the crisis/instability of capitalism from the perspective of Marxist political economy.
Details
Shortlisted for Best Non-Fiction Book Design, 2024 ABDA Awards
Verso Books
Swipe for alternate designs
“Duncan was a pleasure to work with – communication was easy, deliverables were timely, and the work was beautiful!”
—Melissa Weiss, Art Director, Verso Books
Melbourne Now 2023
Exhibition Catalogue
I worked closely with NGV’s publications team of designers and editors – typesetting this comprehensive guide to the 2023 Melbourne Now exhibition, detailing every practice in the exhibition from A to Z.
Details
National Gallery of Victoria
Design Directors: Karina Soraya, Thomas Deverall
Typesetting: Duncan Blachford
240mm x 170mm, 560 pages
Awards
Designers Institute of New Zealand
Best Design Awards – Bronze
Bad Art Mother
Edwina Preston
Good mothers are expected to be selfless. Artists are seen as selfish. So what does this mean for a mother with artistic ambitions? In Bad Art Mother, novelist Edwina Preston explores the conflict between creativity and the conventional expectations of femininity.
Details
Wakefield Press
Final coverspread design
Swipe for alternate designs
“Blachford's pitch perfect, eye-catching, fiercely beautiful cover for Edwina Preston's Stella Prize shortlisted novel Bad Art Mother has contributed to its success by grabbing the reader's attention and daring them not to pick it up ... I've had so much glowing feedback from booksellers and readers.
Duncan reads the books he designs covers for, meaning he GETS their essence, and comes up with these designs that cleverly and intrinsically represent the text. He's passionate, engaged and a pleasure to work with. I couldn't recommend him more highly.”
– Jo Case, Associate Publisher, Wakefield Press
Dolly Parton & James Patterson
A limited edition Advance Reading Copy of Dolly Parton’s debut novel Run, Rose, Run. White ink screen printed on 310gsm Gmund Gold Shimmer, with stencilled rose edges.
Details
Penguin Random House (UK)
Limited Edition
Advance Reading Copy
“Duncan is an absolute delight to work with. A phenomenal designer – thank you for making my job so much fun and for making my authors happy.”
– Merle Bennett, Head of Brand, Century/Penguin Random House (UK)
Independent Business Books
A suite of books for Melbourne’s leading independent business book publisher, Major Street Publishing. Leadership, business, entrepreneurship, personal finance, personal development, self-care, personal growth and motivation genres.
Details
Major Street Publishing
Personal Development Books
Final and alternate designs
“Duncan is one of the most creative and professional cover designers we have ever worked with. He always goes above and beyond, thinking deeply about typography, layout and concept to produce covers that are unique, exceptionally designed and appealing to readers. I couldn’t recommend working with Duncan more highly.”
– Eleanor Reader, Marketing and Publicity Manager, Major Street Publishing
The Teeth of a Slow Machine
Andrew Roff
A daring, irreverent collection of short stories that dissects and explores the conundrums of contemporary life and what it is to be human, through a world very like our own.
Details
Wakefield Press
Final coverspread design
Swipe for alternate designs
“Duncan designed a stunning cover for Andrew Roff's debut short story collection, The Teeth of a Slow Machine. In fact, he presented more than one alluring choice for a cover, but the final, with its combination of dark and light, and its enigmatic rainbow lettering against a Man Ray feather and a smoky background, beautifully captured the mood, feeling and intelligence of the book.”
– Jo Case, Associate Publisher, Wakefield Press