love-hate partnership

In Francis Wolff, a photographer and the other Blue Note owner, Reid Miles found a creative partner. He incorporated Wolff’s photos of the actual recording sessions in his covers, sometimes breaking them apart or stacking them. He took time to pick a typeface that resonated with the photos.

Reid Miles wasn’t the type of designer to limit himself to one or two fonts: he could go from Bodoni to News Gothic in a heartbeat. He also wasn’t greedy, and, once in a while, Miles wouldn’t touch a Wolff photo at all: He let it hold the stage. More often than not, however, the two artists would scream at each other and fight for every inch of cover.