My first cover for Dan’s Papers was a predominately typographic design. It was a
straightforward announcement of the event, listing some well-known players, along with the date and time of the game. The typeface used in the emblem is called “Signpainter.”
It was based on hand-painted lettering on turn-of-the-century French advertising signs that I found in a book in Milton Glaser’s library.
Walter Bernard
Desperate for a cover idea, since my first attempt (a photo of one of our staff members with all the information about the game painted on her face) was rejected. I pulled
out a pastel drawing of my own baseball glove. What made it amusing for me was the
imaginary line-up of players for each team, featuring world-famous artists and
writers.
Walter Bernard
This watercolor of a player sliding safely home in a cloud of dust and dirt as he hits the plate gave me an opportunity to incorporate as many actual participants’ names as I could
remember into the design, all as flying bits of debris.
Walter Bernard
Celebrating Roy Scheider—local resident, fine actor and sterling pitcher for the Artists, who died in February 2008. A leading man in many blockbuster films, including “Jaws,” Roy was devoted to this community, co-founding the Hayground School in Bridgehampton. In this watercolor I tried to capture Roy’s love for the game and his enthusiasm for playing.
Walter Bernard
This is a celebration of Leif Hope, the impresario of the game and the Artists’ manager. Leif has played in the game since the 1960s, when Elaine Benson managed the Artists team, and he and Deb McEneaney have made the game the successful charity event it is today. The design is a steal of the controversial “Hope” poster for President Obama by Shepard Fairey in 2008.
Walter Bernard
This cover is based on an illustration from “Boy’s Life” magazine in 1935. I changed the costumes from the white shirts, ties, long pants and suspenders of the day to T- shirts and shorts, then added a palette in place of the catcher’s glove and a pencil in place of the bat.
Walter Bernard
By this time it seemed appropriate to recognize East Hampton, which has been the location of the Game since its inception and, for many years, as it has been played at Herrick Park. I thought the Old Hook Windmill on North Main Street would make a fine symbol of the village. The windmill’s design was perfect for using the baseball bats to denote our game.
Walter Bernard
Some years ago I designed “SportsCentury,” an ESPN book. I was fascinated by a photograph of Ted Williams and Joe DiMaggio posing together at an All-Star game. The two greatest hitters of that era were, of course, bitter rivals, just like the Artists and Writers. So in this watercolor we have Picasso comparing notes with Shakespeare before they go at it.
