Who Designs These Amazing Covers?

Famous book designer Chip Kidd recently gave a TED talk about the essence of great book cover design. Kidd's vibrant personality and detailed accounts of his designs make his talk both entertaining and enlightening. I enjoyed hearing about how he determines what a book's cover should look like. It's a process that seems simple and intricate at the same time. Watch the video--you'll like it.

Kidd's talk lead me to think of other book designers whose work I admire. I can't rattle off names of book designers off the top of my head, but in browsing for book design inspiration regularly I've noticed that several names keep appearing.

One of those names is David Drummond. I was first drawn to his cover for Small Crimes, and have found a few more of his that I like. Each of the covers below demonstrate the expansion of one simple idea and a balance between form and content:

  

Who are some book designers you like and why? (If you need help finding the name of a designer that you like, this blog is a great place to start.)