Nechama Brodie Dives into the World of Book Designer Joey Hi-Fi

by Tarryn on Dec 13th, 2010

Dale Halvorsen’s illustrator alter-ego Joey Hi-Fi helped him quit his job at a design studio and become a full-time illustrator, working for several international clients like publishers Hodder & Stoughton, Angry Robot and large brands such as Smirnoff and Hilfiger Denim. He designed the cover for Lauren Beukes‘ Zoo City (published by Jacana) and is currently occupied with his latest creation, Shark Jesus – “the highlander of the sea”. Pan Macmillan author Nechama Brodie profiled Halvorsen/Hi-Fi for the M&G:

Designer and illustrator Dale Halvorsen created his alter ego Joey Hi-Fi “partly out of necessity, partly out of my love for comic-book superheroes”.

“I was working at a design studio, doing corporate stuff by day … and my own freelance stuff at night. Pretty soon, though, Joey Hi-Fi started getting cooler work than I was. So I quit my job and took up illustrating full-time. I kept the name. A lot of my clients actually call me Joey — even my agent calls me Joey.”

These days, most of Halvorsen/Hi-Fi’s work is commissioned from London — he is represented by publishing agency Pocko, and his clients have included book publishers Hodder & Stoughton and Angry Robot, Bizarre magazine and Wired UK, as well as large brands such as Smirnoff and Hilfiger Denim. Hi-Fi has also designed several book covers for local publisher Jacana, including Lauren Beukes’s Zoo City and David Dinwoodie Irving’s African Cookboy.