Nimrod’s book was really fun to design. His story had this raw, slightly chaotic energy to it- a guy in the Tel Aviv loop, working in restaurants, trying to write a book and get out of the hospitality world, dating, comparing himself to others, feeling like he’s falling behind. It’s honest, philosophic, a bit messy, and very self-aware. You really get into his mind.

Nimrod had already published three books, and their designs felt connected-almost like a trilogy. But this time, he wanted something different.

I started the same way I always do-sending him questions and reading the book. It was one of those books you can just sit with and go through in a couple of days. It really pulls you in.
Then we had our deep dive, trying to articulate the psychology behind the book. We kept coming back to this feeling-like something is building up and spilling over. Like a spilled glass of red wine on a white tablecloth, in the middle of a long, slightly drunk, hot, chaotic dinner. Beautiful, but also a bit out of control.

Since the book is called On the House and is so tied to the restaurant world, I thought-why not build the cover around that exact moment? A table scene. Something slightly off. At first, I explored the idea of actually spilling the wine, but it started to feel too close to blood, too dramatic, and not quite right. So we pulled it back. Instead, we kept everything clean and composed, but with a subtle tension, like something might go wrong… something mysterious.

Nimrod’s cousin is a professional photographer, so I took some photographs and we used my direction as a base for the shoot. I gave guidelines for the composition, the textures, and where I wanted space for the typography later on. We wanted the tablecloth to feel almost tactile-like the book itself is wrapped in fabric.

The overall direction was minimalistic, but I didn’t want it to feel empty or generic. So I brought in small elements that repeat and give it character. For the chapters, I used an old typewriter-style font-to bring in the presence of the writer himself. That feeling of a bachelor author, sitting alone in his apartment, writing out frustration, jealousy, thoughts he can’t quite place.