Spotlight: John Coulthart

Here at Tachyon, we work with a lot of wonderful people, and we want to shine the spotlight on some of the many folks who make our books so great.

John Coulthart is the designer behind the gorgeous interiors (and sometimes exteriors) of so many of our latest books, including The Best of Michael Moorcock, Booklife, The Hotel Under the Sand, and The Very Best of Fantasy & Science Fiction. His personal style is surreal, ornate, and richly detailed. In addition to books, John designs logos, websites, graphics, and CD and DVD packages. He is also a comics illustrator, contributing to HP Lovecraft adaptations and the controversial Lord Horror.

John explained his career choices in a 2009 interview with Innsmouth Free Press: "I never thought of pursuing what’s called a fine art career. Illustration interested me a lot more, not least because it was evident that the surreal imagery I preferred was no longer encouraged in the gallery world, whereas it flourished on book jackets and record sleeves. Illustrators and graphic designers seemed to have a huge audience for their work and also seemed to connect with people who would never visit an art gallery."



Besides Tachyon, John has produced work for Night Shade Books, Savoy Books, and Wyrm Publishing. His designs and illustrations have appeared on record sleeves, CD and DVD packages for Cradle of Filth, Alan Moore & Tim Perkins, Steven Severin, Jon Hassell and more. His own book, The Haunter of the Dark and Other Grotesque Visions, collects his Lovecraft adaptations and comics. He is a contributor to Arthur Magazine.



To see more of John's work, you can visit his website.

John's site
John's blog
John's store