Designer Suzanne Dean Responds to Accusations of Copying Alvin Lustig's Book Jacket

In a recent installment of PRINT Magazine's 'The Daily Heller,' Steven Heller revisits his 'Separated at Birth' column, which examines the line between influence and plagiarism in graphic design. Heller noticed a striking resemblance between a book jacket designed by Suzanne Dean for Bret Easton Ellis's 'The Informers' and an earlier cover by Alvin Lustig. He contacted Dean, who acknowledged the similarity and explained that the cover was created over 30 years ago under the direction of an art director she trusted completely. At the time, she was new to publishing and unfamiliar with Lustig's work, which she later came to admire deeply, even cherishing a copy of 'Born Modern' on her shelf. Dean expressed mortification and noted that her team now works diligently to create original work and avoid such issues. Heller responded that this incident serves as an object lesson about the importance of studying design history, and he predicted that AI generative tools will make such unintentional copying more common. The exchange highlights ongoing debates about originality and the ethical responsibilities of designers.