1. Visually take us through your professional journey. Create a diagram that summarizes your career to date.
2. When did you realize that you wanted to become a book cover designer? Did you stumble into this career or did you intentionally pursue it?
Georgie Proctor: Take one look at my career path and you’ll see I am definitely stumbling all over the place! But I’ve always read all the time, and drawing puts me most at peace. I was beyond lucky to find something that combines two loves. Hearing editors pitch new books is one of the most exciting things about the career for me, I don’t think I could ever leave cover design now.
3. Based on experience, what city stands out to you as the most inspiring place to visit if you are an artist?
Georgie Proctor: Tough! But Gyumri is number one. It is the first place where I got to do an artist’s residency, and I’ve never seen so much talent in one town! Armenian brutalism is underrated, and I love exploring all the monasteries in the mountains in Shirak. Shout out to Aslan the studio dog too!
4. Tell me about an embarrassing moment at work or a big mistake you made. We’ve all been there.
Georgie Proctor: No huge author name spelling mistakes (yet) but I still get the words on the spine the wrong way around. I have to check my bookshelf every time.
5. Spread good design. Who is one (non-book-cover) graphic designer or artist that we should check out?
Georgie Proctor: Khoren Matevosyan, amazing multimedia illustrator who recently designed this Tigran Hamasyan album cover (which is a video game too?!)
6. What’s one creative skill you wish you had time to pursue so that you could incorporate it into future designs?
Georgie Proctor: I wish I had more time and space to set up a huge easel by my desk and learn how to use oils. Unfortunately my study is also my bedroom so I’m not sure this will be happening for me just yet. Risograph printing is a close second!
7. If you could commission a custom piece of art from any artist, dead or alive, and collaborate with them on a book cover, which artist would you choose and what genre would this hypothetical book be?
Georgie Proctor: Out of pure curiosity, I’d love to see what an artist like Kandinsky (or any abstract expressionist) would make of a romantasy brief
8. Name one author you would love to design for before you retire.
Georgie Proctor: A series design for Zabel Yessayan’s work translated into English would be a dream!
9. About how many times have you written “a novel” on a piece of paper and then scanned it?
Georgie Proctor: 0 times – we don’t do that over here yet!
10. The INABC Exit Question.You’re at a party and you just told a stranger that you’re a book cover designer. What’s the most common response you get from people when they hear this?
Georgie Proctor: ‘I didn’t know that was a thing, I always judge a book by its cover don’t worry!
But recently I also got “so glad AI didn’t snatch up that career path!”
