A Bright Day for Brahm

One of Yorkshire’s classic novels is enjoying a return to prominence, with the help of Brahm. The agency has designed a special edition of JB Priestley’s Bright Day to mark the 60th anniversary of the book’s original publication. Remarkably, Bright Day is the only novel by the Bradford born writer currently in print.

As well as designing the book, Brahm has been behind fundraising, PR and launch events, working in collaboration with the publisher Great Northern Books and prominent local writers, photographers and artists.

Designing the new edition posed an interesting challenge as it actually comprises three books in one; the novel itself, a biography of JB Priestley and a literary tour of Bradford – widely understood to be the setting for the fictional ‘Bruddersford’ of the novel. The design also needed to be sensitive towards Priestley’s original photography and the work of highly renowned photographer, Ian Beesley, both of which are included in the book.

Louise Helliwell, designer at Brahm, said: “The theme of the novel is the transition from darkness to light, pessimism to optimism and this provided the inspiration for our design. The essence of our concept is the use of boldly contrasting colours – black, red and white – which both reflect the theme and divide the book into clear sections.

“The use of archived and modern photography helps to underline the timelessness of the novel, and a grey printed paper stock presents the black and white shots to their full advantage.”

The campaign to return JB Priestley to print has been widely acclaimed, gaining support from among others David Hockney, Dame Judy Dench and Michael Foot. The republished novel was officially launched as part of a special Priestley exhibition at the Brahm Gallery, attended by guests including the writer’s son, Tom Priestley. Copies of Bright Day are available from booksellers.