Book Covers
Designing book covers comes with its own challenges. Below is an example of three separate book covers, each story detailing something completely unique. With each different author and tale, the designs vary to display the accurate mood within the novels.
John Banville’s “The Sea” depicts Max Morden, a painter, as he travels back to a seaside town he used to visit as a child as he processes the death of his wife. The novel floats between the past and the present, often combining the two. The design features a hand sifting through sand, which is representative of reflecting on life. Every element of the design was taken from different traditional artworks.
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Albert Camus’ “The Stranger” follows Meursault as he goes to court after murdering two people. Although he killed these people out of defense, he is still deemed guilty due to his character and lack of emotion. Throughout the novel, the symbolism of water and heat are mentioned. Heat made Meursault think and act rashly and more detached, and water calmed him down. The design of the cover represents Meursault’s body reacting to the change in heat.
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Jeannette Walls “the Glass Castle” is an autobiographry detailing the life of Jeannette and her family. The Glass Castle was something Jeannette’s father would talk about, often saying that he would one day build a paradise for his family where there would be no problems. This never happened though, because her father never had the motivation to turn their lives around. I decided to use glass as an abstract texture within the background and the type. It exists in the composition but can’t clearly be conceptualized, much like in the story.
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