We’re book designers. Sometimes we design posters, websites, and ephemera, but mostly we design books. Specifically: journals, university press and small press books, and book covers.

Metal and Digital are in Our Blood

We learned to make books the old-fashioned way: one letter at a time. We also know how to turn on a computer. Because we’ve had our fingers and faces in ye olde metal type, we know that letters aren’t just pictures of things. They are things. We treat things with respect. Better still: We treat readers with respect.

All About Michael Russem, Principal

Michael Russem grew up in North Andover, Massachusetts, before moving to Syracuse, Florence, Athens, and now Cambridge. For a good eighteen years he was a printer and a book designer. Now he’s just a book designer. When he’s not designing books, he’s looking at books or reading books or walking or shopping or selling linen or looking at overlooked design or visiting book stores or wearing a cardigan. Actually, he’s usually wearing a cardigan. And he’s definitely not spending time updating this site. Or that picture above.

Regarding Katherine Russem (d. 2009), Vice Principal

Having grown up in Syracuse, Katherine was anxious to move away to Florence and Cambridge. She didn’t go to fancy schools. Her senses of design and what’s right and wrong were more innate. She was a doer, not a thinker. Attentive and caring, she was the one who would turn into the “attack dog” of the office if you crossed us. She enjoyed eating bread, walking, resting, and sitting for portraits. She was the best.

A Short Note on Our Clients

Since its founding in 1994, the Staff of M. Russem Book Design has designed books, portfolios, catalogues, and ephemera for:

About This Website

This website was designed in collaboration with Nick Sherman. It is typeset with Matthew Carter’s Role Serif Text & Role Sans Text typefaces. Nick’s responsive comps were developed into the fully-functioning website by Stephen Simon Interactive using the Wordpress system for content management. The site doesn’t use any third-party cookies or invasive user-tracking technology.