The Cheese Monkeys: A Novel in Two Semesters
by Chip Kidd
RATING: 9 out of 10

Back in June when I was attending the HOW Design Conference with my colleagues in Las Vegas, I was fortunate enough to attend a session put on by the guys at 3Dogz Creative about humor in the workplace. It was a great session and I got to get up on the stage to draw a quick logo for “DJ’s Hooker Vending Machines”. It was a traumatic experience because (unlike most other graphic designers) I can’t draw very well.

However, my participation in the class worked out for the best. I either got $50 in chips or copies of 2 books, one being The Cheese Monkeys (the other being one I haven’t read yet, but that’s neither here nor there).

Now, I’m not a knowledgeable enough designer to have known who Chip Kidd was before I read the book, but afterward, I definitely wanted to. So here’s a minor biography: Chip Kidd is considered the best book designer in the world and is as close to a “rock star” as a graphic designer will get. He has designed several of the most famous book covers, the most recognizable of which was Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton, the artwork of which was subsequently purchased by the movie studio for use in branding the cinematic dinosaur franchise.

The Cheese Monkeys is Kidd’s first novel and is interesting from the outside in. Kidd waste no words or space in or out of the book. The edges of the pages even provide 2 messages that are key to the book: “Do You See?” and “Good is Dead.”

Kidd’s book is about a student who attends a state school to study Art, even though he has a large disdain from what is considered “art”. It is told in two separate semesters, fall and spring. The fall semester is used to introduce the characters and to start developing their relationships and the spring semester is the one in which we meet the craziest graphic design professor in fiction: Winter Sorbeck.

Many would say that the subject of graphic design probably doesn’t deserve a novel of its own, at least not one that would be viable to the public at large. Kidd does his best to prove that just isn’t true. Whether or not he succeeds is really up to the reader. I think this book likely resonates more with artists and designers than it would any other audience, but I could just be biased.

I really enjoyed the book, although I thought that the end was a little disjointed. Maybe if I read it more carefully, I would have appreciated it more, but I think that it was intended to be that way because of the narrator’s state of mind.

The book gave me a better appreciation for my craft and made me wish just a little bit more that I would have taken more graphic design classes instead of being a self-taught designer. Sure, there are benefits to being self-taught that give me certain advantages, but I’m at a disadvantage in other areas as well.

If you’re a designer or an artist, I would recommend this book. Otherwise, I’m not sure. Maybe if you’re interested in the insanity of creative-types. And you’re into really, really good writing and great book design.

To update you on my 2006 reading list, I’m up to 22 books now, but I’ve read 5 books that were off my list, so according to the list, I still have about 8 to finish, which would get me to 30 total for the year. That wouldn’t be too bad, in my opinion. It’s not Julie level, but it’s still pretty good.