Last year through a mutual friend, I met Quentin Harrison, a talented music journalist and historian who was seeking a designer and illustrator to work on his first published book. That in itself piqued my interest; when I learned the subject matter focused on the Spice Girls," I knew I wanted in!
The book, "Record Redux: Spice Girls," launched on July 8, 2016, to coincide with the 20th anniversary debut of their first UK single, "Wannabe." Quentin has served up the first ever complete discography of the Spice Girls, tracking their movements in music — both as a group and as solo artists — over nearly two decades. The book covers every released single (plus its B-side) and LP with full stats and Quentin's keen critical commentary throughout.
For the cover design, I wanted to glorify their iconic, larger than life alter egos: Baby, Ginger, Posh, Scary and Sporty. They always struck me as powerful music superheroes, and it was important for me to capture their essence. I knew that the attitude of their stance alone was enough to identify each Girl without adding any detail. About six months before the book's release, the social media campaign unveiled the lineup in silhouettes only; each Girl bathed in their "signature" on-stage color. This campaign approach was a way to reintroduce the group while suggesting that the book would go beyond covering their more notable Spice hits.
