Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children: 
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
Author / Filmmaker / Photographer: Ransom Riggs
Designer (cover and interior): Doogie Horner
Publisher: Quirk Books
This is a book I kept picking up at the bookstore and am so excited
to have an in-depth look into the making of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children! Thank you Doogie and Ransom for your thoughts
on this fantastic book!
—Emily Weigel
// Doogie Horner //
How did you become a book cover designer?
[D] I went to school at Tyler School of Art. I worked at a pharma company
for a little, then did packaging for Mattel Toys. I always wanted to do publishing and after Mattel I got a job at Running Press, which is a publisher in Philly. I was there for about 4 years, then came to Quirk. I like reading books, owning books, just being around books. I read A LOT—constantly, compulsively—so I've always wanted to be involved with publishing.
Can you tell us a little about the premise of the story? What was the
initial direction you were given?
[D] The book is about a group of kids who have incredible powers.
They're hunted by bad guys called hollows. The story was written around
a collection of creepy old photos that Ransom had obtained over the years. Our initial direction was pretty open, although it seemed logical to feature
one of the peculiar kids on the cover.
Where is the image from?
[D] The author had a massive collection of old photos. I took this one
and modified it so she looks like she's floating. I also adjusted the levels
and lighting, gave her sort of a cameo effect, did some cloning, etc.,
but other than that I didn't modify the image too much. It's creepy, right?
Interior images
Were there any special treatments on the final printed jacket?
[D] Yeah, the book is printed with two metallic inks and black. It's a subtle effect, but it makes the book look a little more like a tin type photo, and also prevents it from being too harsh and dark.
Did the project have any unique struggles?
[D] Some of the early versions of the cover looked too adult, too much like novels and not enough like YA. This was the first YA cover I designed, and I didn't know how to approach the genre. I wanted the cover to look cool,
not cheesy, but still read as YA. That was challenging. I was resistant to the crayon type at first. I see that too often on books about creepy kids, it's a
little bit of a cliché. But ultimately it was the best solution, because it communicated quickly and also contrasted nicely with the tightly-gridded Victorian type.
Alternate cover designs
Since this was the first YA book you've designed, what kind of research did you gather for the genre and other competitive titles?
[D] I looked at a lot of other YA books and didn't like most of them. A lot
seem joyless, melodramatic, with big, pretty faces staring at you significantly. We intentionally wanted Miss Peregrine to stand out and look different than other YA novels. We actually got a little push back from retailers because
we were too successful in that respect! They said, "This doesn't fit into our
YA section."
Do you have any sketches of the hand drawn type to share? How did
you go about searching for the right type?
[D] Ah, I do have sketches, but they just look like the scrawls of a lunatic.
I wanted the type to look a little juvenile, a little unstable, but not over the top. It's difficult to draw like a kid without looking like you're trying to draw like a kid. The beauty of their handwriting is its lack of artifice, its joyful confidence.
What do you enjoy about your job?
[D] I like giving a face to a story. Every book is a different challenge, so I never get bored. The design staff size here has fluctuated over the years.
For most of my time here it's just been me and another designer, although now we're up to 3. I'm the only art director, but Jason Rekulak, our creative director, offers a lot of valuable design input. Being a writer and comedian helps me design covers at Quirk because a lot of our books are humorous. However the humor needs to be in line with the cover's narrative, otherwise it's distracting. It's easy to go too far. Taft 2012 is a good example of a cover that, if it was too silly, wouldn't accurately reflect the story, which is smart
and satirical. So understanding humor and writing helps me understand the stories better.
// Ransom Riggs //
Ransom, you go out and find interesting photographs as a hobby which is what inspired your book, correct? Did you alter these photographs in any way? Are any taken by you?
[R] That's more or less it. I started finding these evocative vintage photos at
swap meets and flea markets, then discovered there was a whole culture of collectors who'd been after this stuff for years and had some amazing images squirreled away. I got to know a lot of them, and they were kind enough to
let me use them in my book! A few are altered in minor ways, but most of the nearly 50 pictures are as I found them. I believe Doogie found a stock image of a busdriver and put staples through his face—that's late in the story—which is the only photographic image in the book that isn't a found photo.
Did your studies at the school for the gifted in Florida influence your writing in any way? Obviously being gifted is quite different than peculiar, but I thought I’d ask.
[R] My school experience didn't really inform the book—at least, not in any conscious way. It's is an odd sort of coincidence, though!
Did you create the trailer for the book yourself?
[R] Yes, I wrote and directed the trailer myself. I went to film school and have made more short films than I care to count ... including another trailer for Quirk books, for Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters. So it was only fitting that I'd do my own trailer when my turn to need one came around.
You shot a fair amount of footage for the trailer at your own house
and then went to Europe to finish the rest. Are there any interesting stories you want to share about your trip or the search for Miss Peregrine’s home?
[R] I still can't believe it, but somehow I convinced Quirk to fly me to the Netherlands to shoot half the trailer in old abandoned chateaus. It was amazing! Nothing too crazy happened—somehow we didn't get arrested
or anything. I did accidentally eat brain stew, a direct result of ambitious restaurant ordering and my inability to speak French (we were in Belgium), but I ate fried bats in the South Pacific once, so all told it wasn't that
shocking a meal. Pretty tasty, actually.
Since 20th Century bought the movie rights do you think you’ll be involved in that production?
[R] Uh, nope! But they've got some fantastic people working on it—
Jane Goldman, who wrote X-Men: First Class and Kick-Ass, and
Tim Burton, who need no introduction. So if I can't be involved,
at least I know it's in good hands!
More work by Doogie Horner.
Check out Doogie's website Ministry of Secret Jokes for even more work, such as his hilarious charts.
Check out more of Ransom's videos on his YouTube channel, his thoughts/announcements on his blog and photo essays on Mental Floss.
Add Comment
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
Author / Filmmaker / Photographer: Ransom Riggs
Designer (cover and interior): Doogie Horner
Publisher: Quirk Books
This is a book I kept picking up at the bookstore and am so excited
to have an in-depth look into the making of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children! Thank you Doogie and Ransom for your thoughts
on this fantastic book!
—Emily Weigel
// Doogie Horner //
How did you become a book cover designer?
[D] I went to school at Tyler School of Art. I worked at a pharma company
for a little, then did packaging for Mattel Toys. I always wanted to do publishing and after Mattel I got a job at Running Press, which is a publisher in Philly. I was there for about 4 years, then came to Quirk. I like reading books, owning books, just being around books. I read A LOT—constantly, compulsively—so I've always wanted to be involved with publishing.
Can you tell us a little about the premise of the story? What was the
initial direction you were given?
[D] The book is about a group of kids who have incredible powers.
They're hunted by bad guys called hollows. The story was written around
a collection of creepy old photos that Ransom had obtained over the years. Our initial direction was pretty open, although it seemed logical to feature
one of the peculiar kids on the cover.
Where is the image from?
[D] The author had a massive collection of old photos. I took this one
and modified it so she looks like she's floating. I also adjusted the levels
and lighting, gave her sort of a cameo effect, did some cloning, etc.,
but other than that I didn't modify the image too much. It's creepy, right?
Interior images
Were there any special treatments on the final printed jacket?
[D] Yeah, the book is printed with two metallic inks and black. It's a subtle effect, but it makes the book look a little more like a tin type photo, and also prevents it from being too harsh and dark.
Did the project have any unique struggles?
[D] Some of the early versions of the cover looked too adult, too much like novels and not enough like YA. This was the first YA cover I designed, and I didn't know how to approach the genre. I wanted the cover to look cool,
not cheesy, but still read as YA. That was challenging. I was resistant to the crayon type at first. I see that too often on books about creepy kids, it's a
little bit of a cliché. But ultimately it was the best solution, because it communicated quickly and also contrasted nicely with the tightly-gridded Victorian type.
Alternate cover designs
Since this was the first YA book you've designed, what kind of research did you gather for the genre and other competitive titles?
[D] I looked at a lot of other YA books and didn't like most of them. A lot
seem joyless, melodramatic, with big, pretty faces staring at you significantly. We intentionally wanted Miss Peregrine to stand out and look different than other YA novels. We actually got a little push back from retailers because
we were too successful in that respect! They said, "This doesn't fit into our
YA section."
Do you have any sketches of the hand drawn type to share? How did
you go about searching for the right type?
[D] Ah, I do have sketches, but they just look like the scrawls of a lunatic.
I wanted the type to look a little juvenile, a little unstable, but not over the top. It's difficult to draw like a kid without looking like you're trying to draw like a kid. The beauty of their handwriting is its lack of artifice, its joyful confidence.
What do you enjoy about your job?
[D] I like giving a face to a story. Every book is a different challenge, so I never get bored. The design staff size here has fluctuated over the years.
For most of my time here it's just been me and another designer, although now we're up to 3. I'm the only art director, but Jason Rekulak, our creative director, offers a lot of valuable design input. Being a writer and comedian helps me design covers at Quirk because a lot of our books are humorous. However the humor needs to be in line with the cover's narrative, otherwise it's distracting. It's easy to go too far. Taft 2012 is a good example of a cover that, if it was too silly, wouldn't accurately reflect the story, which is smart
and satirical. So understanding humor and writing helps me understand the stories better.
// Ransom Riggs //
Ransom, you go out and find interesting photographs as a hobby which is what inspired your book, correct? Did you alter these photographs in any way? Are any taken by you?
[R] That's more or less it. I started finding these evocative vintage photos at
swap meets and flea markets, then discovered there was a whole culture of collectors who'd been after this stuff for years and had some amazing images squirreled away. I got to know a lot of them, and they were kind enough to
let me use them in my book! A few are altered in minor ways, but most of the nearly 50 pictures are as I found them. I believe Doogie found a stock image of a busdriver and put staples through his face—that's late in the story—which is the only photographic image in the book that isn't a found photo.
Did your studies at the school for the gifted in Florida influence your writing in any way? Obviously being gifted is quite different than peculiar, but I thought I’d ask.
[R] My school experience didn't really inform the book—at least, not in any conscious way. It's is an odd sort of coincidence, though!
Did you create the trailer for the book yourself?
[R] Yes, I wrote and directed the trailer myself. I went to film school and have made more short films than I care to count ... including another trailer for Quirk books, for Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters. So it was only fitting that I'd do my own trailer when my turn to need one came around.
You shot a fair amount of footage for the trailer at your own house
and then went to Europe to finish the rest. Are there any interesting stories you want to share about your trip or the search for Miss Peregrine’s home?
[R] I still can't believe it, but somehow I convinced Quirk to fly me to the Netherlands to shoot half the trailer in old abandoned chateaus. It was amazing! Nothing too crazy happened—somehow we didn't get arrested
or anything. I did accidentally eat brain stew, a direct result of ambitious restaurant ordering and my inability to speak French (we were in Belgium), but I ate fried bats in the South Pacific once, so all told it wasn't that
shocking a meal. Pretty tasty, actually.
Since 20th Century bought the movie rights do you think you’ll be involved in that production?
[R] Uh, nope! But they've got some fantastic people working on it—
Jane Goldman, who wrote X-Men: First Class and Kick-Ass, and
Tim Burton, who need no introduction. So if I can't be involved,
at least I know it's in good hands!
More work by Doogie Horner.
Check out Doogie's website Ministry of Secret Jokes for even more work, such as his hilarious charts.
Check out more of Ransom's videos on his YouTube channel, his thoughts/announcements on his blog and photo essays on Mental Floss.
Add Comment
