Matters of Wonder

Wonder is all around us if we just take time to feel, see, and hear it. But only if it is welcomed and ready or as Henry David Thoreau stated "It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see." Join Justin Ahrens as he shares an exploration of wonder and how we can shift to "See" differently.

• Justin Ahrens, founder and principal of Rule29

Innovative Product Design in Publishing: The Filament Bible as a test case

Innovation isn’t something that can be replicated by following a simple, defined process, but we can learn valuable lessons by reviewing the path that others have taken to identify and create new ideas. This session will review key aspects of the process that went in to developing a product that led to Tyndale House Publishers earning a U.S. Patent: the Filament Bible project. Combining elements of design thinking with a start-up mentality that operated independently across traditional structures of the company, this innovation success story can help you identify a path to innovative product design that will continue to push our industry forward.

• Keith Williams, Tyndale House editor and co-inventor of The Filament Bible

Fake It Till You Make It

In this session, Derek Thornton and Charles Brock will discuss the joy, constant struggle, and daily commitment to always getting better as book cover designers. Even as accomplished cover designers (with over 30 years of combined experience between the two of them) they still both have days where they wonder if this was the right career path for them. This will be a raw, and real banter where they discuss the daily grind of being a book cover designer day in and day out. You can expect them to share some design “hacks” they use on a regular basis, an interactive question and answer time, and some back stories about their design career and about some of their favorite covers. If you are looking for a couple of designer “know it alls” this is the wrong session…but if you want a down to earth approach to being a book cover designer, this might just be the talk for you!

• Charles Brock, Lead Design & Owner, Brock Book Design Co.
• Derek Thornton, Lead Design & Owner of Notch Design

Presenting the 2021 Top Shelf Book Cover Awards

Each year ECPA presents the Top Shelf Award to the top book and Bible designs of the year. Join us for this special reveal as each winning design is honored, and judges’ comments expressed—while beauty, creativity, and imagination in Christian publishing is celebrated.