The Pig’s Back

Book design, branding and illustration for the luminous Irish literary journal

Books
Branding
A render of The Pig’s Back front cover for Issue 1. The background is a dusty orange colour and the text is black. A thin, white border with inset corners flanks the perimeter of the design, with a large number 1 contained within an unfilled and thinly outlined circle in the top right of the cover. Made up of small black dashes, an abstract depiction of Muckish Mountain—The Pig’s Back—horizontally bisects the cover. Below is a list of the writers featured in this issue: Will Carruthers, Molly Hennigan, Roisin Kiberd, Darragh McCausland and Tim MacGabhann.
A render of The Pig’s Back front cover for Issue 2. The background is a dark bluish violet and the text is white. A thin, dusty orange border with inset corners flanks the perimeter of the design, with a large number 2 contained within an unfilled and thinly outlined diamond in the top right of the cover. Made up of small white dashes, an abstract depiction of Muckish Mountain—The Pig’s Back—horizontally bisects the cover. Below is a list of the writers featured in the issue: JL Bogenschneider, Brendan Callaghan, Niamh Campbell, Alison Langley, Alan McMonagle, Rosa Mäkelä, Jack Sheehan.
A render of The Pig’s Back front cover for Issue 3. The background is a dusty mint green and the text is a dark bluish violet. A thin, white border with inset corners flanks the perimeter of the design, with a large number 3 contained within an unfilled and thinly outlined floral motif in the top right of the cover. Made up of small dark bluish violet dashes, an abstract depiction of Muckish Mountain—The Pig’s Back—horizontally bisects the cover. Below is a list of the writers featured in this issue: Grace Banks, Robert Coakley, Anna Loughran, Alicia McAuley, Megan Nolan and Susanne Stich.
A render of The Pig’s Back front cover for Issue 4. The background is a dark magenta and the text is a white. A thin, dusty mint green border with inset corners flanks the perimeter of the design, with a large number 4 contained within an unfilled and thinly outlined flag motif in the top right of the cover. Made up of small white dashes, an abstract depiction of Muckish Mountain—The Pig’s Back—horizontally bisects the cover. Below is a list of the writers featured in this issue: Lucy Holme, Ella Gaynor, Nathan O’Donnell, Eamon McGuinness, Shane Murphy, Sarah Pazur and Kathryn Scanlan.

Going the whole hog

The Pig’s Back (named for Donegal’s Muckish mountain and for the phrase ar mhuin na muice, to be in luck) is a literary prose journal that aims to bring the rest of Ireland—and in turn, the world—to the northwest. Founded by the Regional Cultural Centre in Letterkenny, it publishes short fiction and essays.

Working towards the publication of The Pig’s Back’s maiden issue allowed us to go the ‘whole hog’ on the design front, with its editor (the resplendent Dean Fee) commissioning us to devise a full series and brand design from scratch, alongside the conception of illustrated motifs for each issue’s half-dozen or so works.

Working with Frontwards Design has been an absolute dream. Our journal is treated with great care, attention and unmatched craft. Patrick always surprises us, so we look forward to every new issue with much excitement.

Dean Fee editor of The Pig's Back
A pairing of The Pig's Back wordmark and logomark on a dusty orange background. On the left, The Pig's Back wordmark is in black, with the three words of 'The Pig's Back' placed on top of one another in a literary, decorative, serif font. The word 'The' is smaller than the others, and is rendered in a slightly lighter weight italic iteration of the main typeface. On the right, the logomark is constructed from two black letters from the same typeface as the wordmark: a reversed, uppercase 'P' placed back-to-back with an uppercase 'B'. The letter 'P' has a decorative tail descending from it, and the letters are surrounded by a closely-dashed circular border in white.
Branding for The Pig’s Back

Typographically, the literary expression of Victorian Orchid duly takes centre stage, underpinning The Pig’s Back wordmark and monogrammed logomark and filling the cover itself. The brief had been to create the surrounding elements and motifs as understated visual tenets that could metamorphosize as the series grew—linear, geometric forms which could shift from issue to issue, yet still preserve an instantly recognisable identity.

The starkest of these forms was a representation of Donegal’s iconic Muckish Mountain which would straddle the centre of each and every cover—an apt visual landmark for the journal—with our final interpretation presenting Muckish as both a topographical motif and a shelf of books sat along the apex of the mountain’s form.

A render of a spread of The Pig’s Back Issue 1, showing the interior of the front cover and the first page of the publication. The interior front cover has a black background, and features five circular motifs in a zigzag arrangement at its centre, each containing a monochrome vectorised illustration on a dusty orange background, surrounded by a closely-dashed circular border in white. The illustrations are of the púca in a horse-like form, a railway track running into the distance, two large tentacles, a trio of mushrooms and a single screw. The right-hand page is white, featuring the logomark for The Pig’s Back. An inverted uppercase letter ‘P’, modified to include a tail-like motif, sits back-to-back with an uppercase letter ‘B’. The logomark sits dead centre, bisecting a medium width line, which runs from the page’s top to its bottom.
A render of a spread of the contents page of The Pig’s Back Issue 1. Five works and their page numbers are spread across the two pages, centred horizontally. The text is typeset in a black, decorative, serif typeface, with oversized page numbers set to the left of the titles and authors.
A render of a spread of The Pig’s Back Issue 2, showing the interior of the front cover and the first page of the publication. The interior front cover is a dusty orange colour, and features seven circular motifs in a hexagonal arrangement at its centre, each containing a monochrome vectorised illustration on a circular violet background, surrounded by a closely-dashed circular border in white. The illustrations are of a toothbrush, a natural pool, a hand with a missing ring finger, three cans of soup, an easel peppered with arrows, a ring, a dead fly. The right hand page is white, featuring the logomark for The Pig’s Back. An inverted uppercase letter ‘P’, modified to include a tail-like motif, sits back-to-back with an uppercase letter ‘B’. The logomark sits dead centre, bisecting a medium width line, which runs from the page’s top to its bottom.
A render of a spread of The Pig’s Back Issue 2, showing the title spread of the work 'Gardening at Night' by Niamh Campbell. The left-hand page contains a vectorised illustration of a ring with a sparkling jewel in an octagonal shape set at its top. Inset in the interior of the lower band in script is the word ‘vášeň’. Surrounding the illustration is a closely-dashed circular border in black. The right-hand page displays the title of the work in a large, decorative, serif typeface, with the author's name in smaller text below. Beginning from the page's horizontal centre are of paragraphs of text continuing until the margin and page number at its bottom.
A render of a spread of The Pig’s Back Issue 1, showing the interior of the front cover and the first page of the publication. The interior front cover has a dark bluish violet background, and features five circular motifs in an asymmetric grid at its centre, each containing a monochrome vectorised illustration on a dusty mint green background, surrounded by a closely-dashed circular border in white. The illustrations are of a tent, a mobile phone with its screen displaying the stylised phrase 'lean into what brings you joy', a diving board, a street sign for Lafayette St, a wide paint brush and a pair of black ballet pumps. The right-hand page is white, featuring the logomark for The Pig’s Back. An inverted uppercase letter ‘P’, modified to include a tail-like motif, sits back-to-back with an uppercase letter ‘B’. The logomark sits dead centre, bisecting a medium width line, which runs from the page’s top to its bottom.
A render of a spread of The Pig’s Back Issue 3, showing two pages of text typeset in a predominantly asymmetric layout.
A dusty orange-coloured circle, surrounded by a closely-dashed circular border in white, centred on a black background. Within the coloured circle is a vectorised illustration of two eyes staring out beneath a fringe of hair and two equine-like ears.
A dusty orange-coloured circle, surrounded by a closely-dashed circular border in white, centred on a black background. Within the coloured circle is a vectorised illustration of a household screw.
A dusty orange-coloured circle, surrounded by a closely-dashed circular border in white, centred on a black background. Within the coloured circle is a vectorised illustration of three mushrooms.
A dusty orange-coloured circle, surrounded by a closely-dashed circular border in white, centred on a black background. Within the coloured circle is a vectorised illustration of two suckered tentacles rising up from the bottom of the circle.
A dusty orange-coloured circle, surrounded by a closely-dashed circular border in white, centred on a black background. Within the coloured circle is a vectorised illustration of a train track disappearing into the distance.
Our illustrations accompanying each of the five works—from Darragh McCausland, Tim MacGabhann, Roisin Kiberd, Will Carruthers and Molly Hennigan—of the maiden issue of The Pig's Back.
A violet-coloured circle, surrounded by a closely-dashed circular border in white, centred on a dusty orange background. Within the coloured circle is a vectorised illustration of a toothbrush.
A violet-coloured circle, surrounded by a closely-dashed circular border in white, centred on a dusty orange background. Within the coloured circle is a vectorised illustration of a natural pool, flanked by fern covered rocks and a patch of grass.
A violet-coloured circle, surrounded by a closely-dashed circular border in white, centred on a dusty orange background. Within the coloured circle is a vectorised illustration of a dead fly lying on its back.
A violet-coloured circle, surrounded by a closely-dashed circular border in white, centred on a dusty orange background. Within the coloured circle is a vectorised illustration of a ring with a sparkling jewel in an octagonal shape set at its top. Inset in the interior of the lower band in script is the word ‘vášeň’.
A violet-coloured circle, surrounded by a closely-dashed circular border in white, centred on a dusty orange background. Within the coloured circle is a vectorised illustration of an easel, with its canvas punctured in five separate places by arrows.
A violet-coloured circle, surrounded by a closely-dashed circular border in white, centred on a dusty orange background. Within the coloured circle is a vectorised illustration of three identical cans of soup with ring pulls. Each can has the word ‘SOUP’ displayed centrally on it within a simple label, with the ‘O’ of ‘SOUP’ replaced by the illustration of a tomato.
A violet-coloured circle, surrounded by a closely-dashed circular border in white, centred on a dusty orange background. Within the coloured circle is a vectorised illustration of a hand, palm down with fingers splayed. The ring finger of the hand is missing.
Our illustrations for the second issue, accompanying the works by Rosa Mäkelä, Alison Langley, Brendan Callaghan, JL Bogenschneider, Jack Sheehan, Niamh Campbell and Alan McMonagle.
A dusty mint green circle, surrounded by a closely-dashed circular border in white, centred on a dark bluish violet background. Within the coloured circle is a vectorised illustration of a two-man tent, with the front flap of its entrance partially open. Three taught guy ropes are visible, running to the edge of the circle.
A dusty mint green circle, surrounded by a closely-dashed circular border in white, centred on a dark bluish violet background. Within the coloured circle is a vectorised illustration of an iPhone with its screen displaying the words 'lean into what brings you joy' in large, bold, rounded text. The words are surrounded by sporadically-placed four-pointed stars and are bordered at the top and bottom with black bars. The top bar contains a white symbol for the star sign Virgo, and the bottom bar the word 'next' within a thinly-outlined, rounded button.
A dusty mint green circle, surrounded by a closely-dashed circular border in white, centred on a dark bluish violet background. Within the coloured circle is a vectorised illustration of a diving board, with a series of steps leading up to it. Beneath it, we can see the raised edge of a swimming pool and the waves of the water below.
A dusty mint green circle, surrounded by a closely-dashed circular border in white, centred on a dark bluish violet background. Within the coloured circle is a vectorised illustration of a street sign for Lafayette Street, attached at its right-hand side by three rivets to a pole-like form. In the background is a telephone wire, which bisects the sign at an angle.
A dusty mint green circle, surrounded by a closely-dashed circular border in white, centred on a dark bluish violet background. Within the coloured circle is a vectorised illustration of a paint brush with a wide, unkempt set of bristles. In the centre of the metal surround that holds the bristles in place is the word '3 inches' in numeric form.
A dusty mint green circle, surrounded by a closely-dashed circular border in white, centred on a dark bluish violet background. Within the coloured circle is a vectorised illustration of a pair of black ballet pumps, with small bows towards the toe. The left-hand pump is facing us, showing an innersole decorated with a swirly, zigzagging pattern beneath a number '6' in an outlined circle. The right-hand pump is turned on its side, displaying the short platform at the rear of its sole.
Our illustrations for the third issue, accompanying the works by Alicia McAuley, Grace Banks, Anna Loughran, Megan Nolan, Robert Coakley and Susanne Stich.
A dusty pink circle, surrounded by a closely-dashed circular border in white, centred on a dusty mint green background. Within the coloured circle is a vectorised illustration of a lit cigarette, positioned horizontally, with the word 'Camel' spanning its body adjacent to the filter. From its end, a bloom of curling smoke disappears off the edge of the circular background
A dusty pink circle, surrounded by a closely-dashed circular border in white, centred on a dusty mint green background. Within the coloured circle is a vectorised illustration of an old, black rotary telephone, with its spiral cord half-truncated by the edge of the circular background. Barring the number 1, each number from 1 to 0 around the rotary dial has a set of three letters in smaller type above it—2 has ABC, 3 has DEF and so on until the number 9. Beneath the number 0 is the word 'Operator' in small, uppercase text. In the circular centre of the rotary dial are the words 'wait for dial tone' in a script typeface.
A dusty pink circle, surrounded by a closely-dashed circular border in white, centred on a dusty mint green background. Within the coloured circle is a vectorised illustration of a squarish, modernist sofa covered by a large sheet of transparent plastic.
A dusty pink circle, surrounded by a closely-dashed circular border in white, centred on a dusty mint green background. Within the coloured circle is a vectorised illustration of a figure rowing a boat which contains a large rectangular trunk-like object that spans the full width of the boat. The figure is closely approaching an abstract upright figure who stands in front of a series of looming, black abstract tree-like forms. Surrounding the boat and its oars are the waves of the ocean.
A dusty pink circle, surrounded by a closely-dashed circular border in white, centred on a dusty mint green background. Within the coloured circle is a vectorised illustration of two large, simple drinking glasses, placed side-by-side, both three-quarters full of a liquid that's dotted with tiny aerated bubbles.
A dusty pink circle, surrounded by a closely-dashed circular border in white, centred on a dusty mint green background. Within the coloured circle is a vectorised illustration of a portrait orientated sign hanging from a decorative cast iron support. The sign has a curved top and bottom and straight sides and reads 'The Glens' in a blackletter typeface. Below these words is a simple illustration of two hills bisected by a river or path, with the left-hand hill overlaid by text reading 'Wines, Spirits' in the same blackletter typeface.
A dusty pink circle, surrounded by a closely-dashed circular border in white, centred on a dusty mint green background. Within the coloured circle is a vectorised illustration of a flamingo, positioned side-on and standing on one leg, with its non-standing leg lifted and bent towards its body.
Our illustrations for the fourth issue, accompanying the works by Ella Gaynor, Kathryn Scanlan, Nathan O’Donnell, Lucy Holme, Shane Murphy, Eamon McGuinness and Sarah Pazur.

Working with Patrick and Frontwards Design has been an absolute dream. From the overall design of the journal’s solid framework with elements that change with each issue, to the individual motifs designed for each writer’s work, our journal is treated with great care, attention and unmatched craft. Patrick always surprises us, whether it’s a colour palette or a motif or something completely new, so we look forward to every new issue with much excitement.

Dean Fee editor of The Pig's Back
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