in 1951, when blue note records began issuing 10 inch records, hermansader was one of their first designers, along with paul bacon and gil melle. looking back at this era, michael cuscuna of mosaic records said, “ what john hermansader and paul bacon really did was evoke the feeling of the music. they used everything from bauhaus designs to things that were really otherworldly.” angelynn grant adds, “when people think of blue note covers they think of frank wolff”s photography and reid miles design. but john hermansader laid the groundwork that got them going along that path.” richard cook, who wrote blue note records: the biography states, “hermansader in particular balanced the twin issues of photography and type in a way that would mirror the concerns of the blue note of the years ahead.”