Kafka on the Shore
by Haruki Murakami

Client: Centipede Press
Scope: packaging, interior design and illustration
Published: 2018

Synopsis:
Jerad Walters of Centipede Press gave me the project of a lifetime when he asked if I would design for him a deluxe, limited-to-200 edition of Haruki Murakami's surreal 2002 masterpiece Kafka on the Shore. I have been a huge Murakami fan since I first read Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World in the mid-1990s, so I was psyched to work on this.

I was able to have black plus one spot color for the interior, which was fun to implement. I also was able to convince Centipede to allow me to split the book into two volumes and have collage illustrations run across spreads.

Given that Kafka is so weird and surreal, I wanted the collages to be mysterious, layered with meaning, and have a heavily-textured, technicolor, psychedelic vibe. It was really fun to work on these.

One of the most exciting days of my life was when I received a package in the mail that contained the signing sheets with Murakami's signature in silver ink on each page. And I got to sign the pages as well. Mind blown.