Justin Carder designed the cover for Joanna Howard’s novel Porthole, centered on a film director who may be responsible for an on-set death. Publisher McSweeney’s describes the book as “a portrait of an auteur at the peak of her powers and in the midst of an extravagant, albeit well-dressed, meltdown.”

Justin explained by email that he and co-art director Sunra Thompson paid oblique homage to film noir poster design, underscored by Sam Hadley’s atmospheric illustration. To simulate the angular hand lettering of the time period, Cortado’s curves are reduced to skittery straight lines, and Azo Sans takes on a rough finish.