James Yang is the author of the new children's picture book Charles & Ray: Designers at Play. It focuses on the mid-century designers Charles and Ray Eames. Yang's other books include A Boy Named Isamu. He lives in Brooklyn.
Q: What inspired you to create this picture book about the designers Charles and Ray Eames?
A: I had done an earlier book about another mid-century artist, Isamu Noguchi (A
Boy Named Isamu). Noguchi is one of my art heroes and the story is an imagined
story about his childhood that later informs him as an artist. It was one of my
most popular books and won the Honor award from the APALA-American Library
Association for excellence in Asian-American literature for children.
Viking asked if I wanted to create a book about another mid-century artist and immediately Charles and Ray Eames came to mind. I sheepishly asked because they are design giants and it feels like you need special permission. Viking said, “Of course you can do a book on the Eameses!” and one of my dream projects suddenly became reality!
Q: What was it like to create illustrations for a story about people who also were artists, in the world of design?
A: It was both exciting and intimidating. My illustration is influenced by the Eameses (and Noguchi) so it made sense from an artistic standpoint. The challenge is how do you catch the Eameses and merge it with my visual language?
I didn’t want to simply copy the Eameses’ work, that would look like a catalogue instead of a picture book and at the same time the quality of the images has to do justice to their work.
The other challenge was creating a different vibe from Isamu. A Boy Named Isamu is a quieter book and my art director, Jim Hoover, and I agreed the art should be more colorful with a playful exuberant energy, which is the energy the Eameses had when they created.
My editor Tamar Brazis and I talked about focusing on a part of the Eameses’ life instead of their whole story and narrowed the story down to their teamwork, love of problem solving, and the fun they had.
Charles mentioned that their famous Eames chair was the hardest problem they ever solved and it struck me that the story could be about the fun of trying and trying again and learning to enjoy the process.
The Roadrunner cartoons were popular when I was little and the running joke was the Coyote keeps trying, failing, and never giving up. It was a theme I knew kids would like.
The other big challenge was is there a way to tell the Eameses’ story that would make for good bedtime reading? We knew a colorful book would keep the kids’ attention, but the story needs to do the same!
Q: The Publishers Weekly review of the book says, “Young readers may not have the context to recognize how beautifully Yang tips his hat to mid-century-modern design, but they will come away with a sense of how exhilarating it can be to make something new—and with whetted appetites for discovering more.” What do you think of that description?
A: I love their take! What a relief to know at least PW likes the imagery and the story. The story needs to work because that is the hook to introducing the Eameses to kids. Hopefully seeing mid-century inspired images makes them a fan like I became when I first saw it as a child.
Q: In the book’s Author’s Note, you talk about your childhood affinity for The Jetsons--how do you see the Eameses’ work fitting into that ethos, and what do you see as their legacy today (the Eameses’, not the Jetsons’!)?
A: The Jetsons was my visual gateway to the Eameses. Most art directors know I am a fan of the Jetsons just from seeing my illustrations with robots, ships, and planets.
When researching, I learned that The Jetsons’ visuals were heavily influenced by mid-century design and especially Charles and Ray Eames. If you look at the background paintings for The Jetsons, the influence of mid-century design becomes clear.
The Eameses are still a major influence today. Their furniture is still popular and the Eameses are heroes to many designers and image makers. They are one of the most important influences on modern American design.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: I just finished up my next book, A Universe Big and Small: A Story of Carl Sagan, which will be out this Summer 2025. The story is about a young Carl Sagan asking big questions he would ask as an adult. We’re really excited about it and can't wait for others to see it.
I’m also working on a mural for a children’s hospital and working on a book about Arthur Ashe through the eyes of a young girl who’s a giant fan. It dawned on me after the Eames book that I enjoy writing about my childhood heroes.
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: My new favorite quote is from Tadashi Yanai, who is the CEO of Uniqlo: “People take failure too seriously.” If only I knew this when younger.
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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