When samples of the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law book arrived at Finch Paper, we knew we’d feature it on our showcase. It was instantly compelling with its clean white cover and vibrant interior. The designer, Chris Haas of flourish inc, recently took time away from designing to talk to us about this piece and design in general.

Finch Paper: How long have you been in the design field?

Chris Haas: Roughly seven years. Before becoming a designer, art director, and semi-professional ping-pong player for flourish inc., I was fortunate to work at American Greetings, where I concepted and designed more greeting cards than I care to remember.

Finch Paper: The white cover is striking. Explain the idea behind the treatment you used.

Chris Haas: When the book was first conceived, two covers were presented: a black cover and white cover. It was recommended to print both and intermix the covers. They decided to use black the first year and white the second year. The clear foil on the cover was used to add subtle drama and we wanted something different that would make someone pick up the book just based on the cover.

Finch Paper: What made you select Finch Paper?

Chris Haas: Right now I am a huge fan of the look being achieved on uncoated paper, and Finch has surpassed everything that I look for in an uncoated sheet. For this project in-particular, there was “double appeal”. What I mean by that is there were things that both the client and I were looking for. For me, it was Finch Fine’s smooth finish and the superior printability of the paper. For the client it was a great environmental factor and most importantly, the value.

Finch Paper: Do you have a dream project (e.g. a perfume bottle for a major retailer, a coffee table book, movie campaign … anything)?

Chris Haas: My dream project would be to design a major sports team logo and it wouldn’t matter what sport. I love sports and I think the longevity of the design and seeing your logo in the middle of a court or field and seeing people walk by with it on a shirt or hat would be such a rewarding feeling.

Finch Paper: Where do you go for inspiration?

Chris Haas: A trip down to Starbucks, or at least that is what I tell my boss they are used for.

Finch Paper: What is a design pet peeve of yours?

Chris Haas: My biggest pet peeve is losing a great design in the details. Anytime I see a great concept, brochure or even logo and the details have been forgotten or looked over, it drives me crazy. Those details could be the simplest thing like a designer forgetting to adjust his rags in a brochure, to a logo with bad kerning and a great ad concept that has a poorly executed art direction. To me, it’s that extra 10% effort that takes a good design and makes it great.

Thanks to Chris for talking with us. We’ll keep our eye out for your work at center-court!