Dudley Randall saw the importance of interesting and innovative design in the production of books for Broadside Press. He incorporated his own design thoughts with the work of Black artists and photographers to ensure that the affordable books sold by Broadside had a unique aesthetic that was modern and in line with the imagery and themes that could be found within the Black Arts Movement of the late 60s and early 70s.
Randall had a collaborative partnership with his printer, Detroit’s Harlo Press. Some books were only typeset, without illustrations, leading some to believe they were designed by Randall himself. He did design the cover of his book, Cities Burning, in consultation with Shirley Woodson and Cledie Taylor, two artists and personal friends who contributed to many Broadside publications, as well as with the production artists at Harlo Press.
“Randall turned to local artists to help him create an aesthetic for Broadside Press. It started off as a functional enterprise. He very quickly realized that ornament, paper quality, format, and illustration could help create something magical and something lasting.”
Shirley Woodson and Cledie Taylor were two of the consistent artistic collaborators in Broadside’s work. Woodson is a Detroit based painter and educator. A friend of Randall’s, Woodson consulted on numerous broadsides and book covers. She designed the first two editions of the Broadside Series, for Randall’s poems, “Ballad of Birmingham” and “Dressed all in Pink,” including the accompanying image for “Ballad of Birmingham.” She also created a cover image for the broadside of June Jordan’s, “Poem: On Moral Leadership as a Political Dilemma (Watergate, 1973).” She designed custom display type for the cover of Audre Lorde’s 1974 book of poetry, The New York Head Shop and Museum.
Cledie Taylor is also a Detroit based artist, art collector, gallerist, and educator. She was another voice that Randall frequently consulted regarding the design of books and broadsides. Her contributions to the Broadside Series include the striking design of Gwendolyn Brooks’ “We Real Cool” and the illuminated-style text of Robert Hayden’s “Gabriel (Hanged for a Leading a Slave Revolt).” Her work on Broadside book covers includes Brooks’ Riot and James Randall’s Cities and Other Disasters.
“Dudley felt that the book itself was art. And so he was very sensitive to the presentation. During this time, a lot of people were making their own books just with a mimeograph. And he did not want that. He wanted a professionally produced text.”
