Graphic design, writing, and comedy are three powerful genres in the publishing world. The trio is made even stronger when woven together, which is exactly what Doogie Horner does in his work. As an Art Director at Quirk Books, he has designed countless book covers including Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. As a writer, he has contributed to publications like McSweeney’s, Wired and Fast Company. And as a comedian, he was declared Philadelphia’s Funniest by Helium comedy club. He recently rolled all three of his talents together in his new book, . The collection features over 200 meticulously designed charts that aim to make sense of life’s mysteries, like an illustrated matrix of WWF finishing moves and heavy metal band name taxonomy. Get inspired by this talented multi-tasker in his 10 ANSWERS below.
1. How would you describe your work in three words?
Humorous, complex, arcane.
2. Who is your creative role model?
For infographic design, I don’t really have one. For copywriting I like Ben Schott and John Hodgman. For book cover design I like Paul Sahre and Peter Mendelsund.
3. If you had an extra hour each day what would you do with it?
Probably read or write.
4. What place in the world most inspires you and why?
I get inspired when I’m stuck someplace dull—like a lecture or a long bus ride—because I’m trying not to die of boredom. I always get fired up when I’m on vacation, and write lots of notes, but when I get home I usually realize they’re crap. Honestly I don’t believe in inspiration. Most good work of mine slowly emerges as the result of sustained hard work and incremental improvements, rather than a sudden flash of insight. Deadlines are inspirational.
5. If you could do a different job for a day what would it be and why?
For only one day? That’s difficult. I’d say astronaut, but you need lots of training for that. Am I being too literal? Stuntman would be cool too, but once again, since I’m not trained to do that I’d probably injure myself. Dolphin wrangler? Sorry, this question is too hard. PASS.
6. What is your favorite homemade gift to give?
When I’m hanging out with friends I like to draw little portraits of them on index cards. They rarely look like them though, and sometimes they look kind of like them, but with one element distorted in a way that makes them self-conscious (which is not my intention!). I hand the drawing to them and they say, “Oh! Thank you! I didn’t realize my nose drooped like that.”
7. What is your favorite object in your home?
The refrigerator. My dog? Maybe the record player. My stack of notebooks? My suits on hangars in the closet.
8. What is the best advice you’ve ever received?
Work creates inspiration.
9. What websites do you use for inspiration?
I like image aggregation sites: This Isn’t Happiness, Ffffound, , Super Punch. I also like fashion blogs like Put This On, The Sartorialist, Nerd Boyfriend. Boing Boing is cool.
10. When do you consider a piece of your work complete?
With most book design I want to have a clear hierarchy: the viewer will look here first, there second, then move down here, etc. I want to communicate clearly and control the flow of the viewer’s gaze. However with most of my charts, I’m aiming for the exact opposite of that. I want them to look like a wall, a maze; I want your attention to hit it and then evenly disperse. I want them to encourage exploration, a jungle of words you hack through to discover stuff. At the same time though, I don’t want it to be unnecessarily complex. The complexity should derive from the content and not just be purposeless decoration. I’m more interested in layout than design, if that makes sense (it might not). You shouldn’t notice the design, it should be invisible. When a chart has no unnecessary elements, looks balanced, and is fun to read, then it’s done.
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