“My Friend, Weezer” — Behind the Design
When
@murphyphoto first asked if I wanted to design a book capturing 25 years of stories, photos, and friendship with
@weezer , I’m pretty sure my first response was… “no.” How do you do something this iconic justice?
Thankfully, I didn’t have to do it alone. I’ve been meaning to walk through some of my favorite design details that brought this book to life — so here we go!
Slide 1: Flipping through My Friend, Weezer
Slide 2: SEAN MURPHY FONT
One of my favorite details: “Hey Sean, can you write the alphabet, scan it, and email it to me?” An hour later, his handwriting became a custom font used throughout the book.
Slide 3: THE DOODLER
Something was missing… until we added
@goprintgo ’s doodles. The spreads instantly came alive. Fun fact: she’s also Brian Bell’s sister.
Slide 4: CONCERT FLYER
The cover title and the flyer on the first page were hand-drawn by Weezer’s long-time historian,
@karlophone — who also wrote the book’s foreword.
Slide 5: FILM
We wanted to honor the mediums. If it was shot on film, we used real scans of the contact sheets, complete with Sean’s circled selects, folders, and lab notes. It feels like a time capsule in the best way.
Slide 6: DIGITAL
When Sean switched to digital, we shifted too. No fake textures — just a fresh vibe with more color, different layouts, and a clean digital feel.
Thank you to Sean — my friend, coworker and mentor who has always believed in me even when sometimes I don’t even believe in myself. You are an inspiration ⚡️
My Friend, Weezer is available now wherever books are sold — just in time for Christmas. Get yours! I promise you won’t be disappointed. 🫶🏼