This led me to ask several questions on how I would tackle such a complex brief which ultimately led me to explore the processes of one of the masters of book jacket design and gain an insight in to just how to start such an undertaking.<\/p>\n
So, how do you capture an entire theme in a 15x20cm space? To answer this, I took a look at some great examples of book jackets (having great fun in the process) to see if I could establish any common traits or if you can tell a book by its cover and if beauty is in fact in the eye of the beholder. I suspect there are aspects of both, for what we see is influenced by what we know.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.mzuri.co.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/MZURI-BLOG-ARTICLE-SINGLE-IMAGE-\u2013-600px-wide-4-copyx2-1024x773.jpg\")
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Book: The Very Hungry Caterpillar<\/strong> We all know of this little furry fellow, at least I hope you do. It has adorned millions of children\u2019s bedroom floors since 1969. If you have not seen it then I urge you to go out and get a copy as it is a real joy to experience, and the cover is a perfect example of this. The combination of painted paper collage with pencil drawn hairs, simultaneously giving a sense of naivety and illustrative mastery. The colours are vibrant yet realistic, and coming up to 50 years old, show no sense of fading or being any less engaging in the technicolour landscape of current colour trends. In fact, it\u2019s reassuring to see that it is still the simplicity of the story and skill of the illustrator that makes this book as appealing today as it was in 1969.<\/p>\n Book: Loneliness<\/strong> In stark contrast to the colourful nature of the \u2018The Very Hungry Caterpillar\u2019 is Mendelsund\u2019s mastery of typographic restraint for the book \u2018Loneliness\u2019. At first glance it appears so effortless, possibly even obvious. However, you would be mistaken in thinking this. Whilst the final execution is restrained, the journey towards it is far more complex, each concept vigorously explored and experimented with.<\/p>\n In a Wired article by Kyle Vanhemert<\/a><\/strong>; \u2018As Mendelsund describes it, his job is “finding that unique textual detail that…can support the metaphoric weight of the entire book.” That, of course, requires actually reading a manuscript closely enough to A) determine the metaphoric weight of the book and B) find a handful of relevant details within it. In other words, making a great book cover isn’t just about making. It starts with understanding.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n In this way, the design of a book cover should mirror the process for designing any new product<\/a><\/strong>, album cover<\/a><\/strong> or a good logo<\/a><\/strong>. First you must gain a good understanding of the brief, that includes knowing the material you are working with, whether that be the manuscript, soundtrack, company core beliefs and history or the needs of the intended user.<\/p>\n Books: Franz Kafka series for Schoken Books<\/strong> Alongside Mendelsunds mastery of the cover, Angus Highland deserves as much recognition. I particularly like his reworking of the Nabokov backlist. In an interview with Rebecca Greenfield<\/a><\/strong>, Highland states; “The thinking was to create a strong presence in Nabokov by having his own look and feel and to sort of play up the playfulness and seductiveness and wickedness of his style,” Hyland explains, “rather than the usual tackle of Nabokov, which is much more high-literature.”<\/em><\/p>\n I particularly like the re-composition of classic components that were commonly used in the Penguin 20th Century Classics series, from the 1990s. Utilising a recognisable composition and using bespoke patterns, whilst breaking the framing element with overlapping imagery and the use of different illustrators give each book an individual look under a unifying theme.<\/p>\n Book: Nabokov Penguin Modern classics<\/strong> Penguin books are synonymous with creating clever and engaging covers, none better than this highly sought after edition of \u2018Nineteen Eighty-Four\u2019 by George Orwell. A fantastic novel which looks into the world of \u2018Big Brother\u2019. This depiction by designer David Pearson hides the Author\u2019s Name and the title of the book itself, only the embossing of the lettering can be seen underneath the black panels, which link excellently to the theme of censorship throughout the book.<\/p>\n Book: 1984<\/strong> Book: The Kama Sutra<\/strong> Another bold use of negative space was Malika Favre take of the Kama Sutra for Penguin. The clever use of intertwining silhouettes is a subtle yet direct interpretation of the ancient Sanskrit guide to sexual technique, human sexual behaviour and love. The use of a restricted colour palette and simple forms only serves to enhance the impact of the cover.<\/p>\n Book: Winnie the Pooh<\/strong> Returning full circle, take a look at another book from my childhood that I still admire to this day. Although this is not the cover version I experienced as a child, when I came across it at Art college, this original version is eclipsed any subsequent adaptation. Like all the covers featured in this article, it\u2019s the overarching concept, thought process and skill of the designer that is key to the success of the cover. The directness of the illustration and simplicity of execution is what makes this cover a real triumph. Shepard\u2019s depiction of the little bear so eloquently captures the personality Milne created in his book. The quiet little bear who often finds himself getting into \u2018spots of bother\u2019 is brilliantly realised in the split illustration that perfectly frames the book title and author. The cherry on top for this cover is actually the lack of one. The monotone colour palette is due to financial constraints as opposed to a creative decision, but is all the better for it.<\/p>\n One of the reasons I wanted to write a piece on book covers is that they are such a wonderful source of inspiration for me. Much like posters<\/a><\/strong> and album covers<\/a><\/strong>, they offer so much scope for creativity and the ability to use different mediums to convey a message. Photography, illustration, graphics and typography all come together in this wonderful artform. It\u2019s the results of this creativity, skill and discipline that are so satisfying. In the rapidly expanding disposable digital universe, to create something physical and tangible that you hold and covet and want to display on your very own bookshelf is incredibly heartening.<\/p>\n From \u2018The Very Hungry Caterpillar\u2019 to \u2018Winnie the Pooh\u2019 and every magnificent dust jacket in between, conceptual intellect, visual restraint, illustrative mastery and typographic discipline come together to form the basis of these design gems. Forget the banality of the vast swathe of \u2018New York Times Bestseller\u2019 mass produced template covers that adorn the end of a supermarket shopping aisle. Instead visit an independent book store and pick up a book that you have never heard of but visually intrigues you. If you don\u2019t understand the cover on first glance, don\u2019t be discouraged. Read a little further and on completion you will find a wry smile cross your lips as your synapses spark and connect the written word with the visual image.<\/p>\n Thank you to all you creative geniuses out there. I shall be looking for your latest creations in a local bookstore near me this weekend.<\/p>\n Bob<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Reflections on how conceptual intellect, visual restraint, illustrative mastery and typographic discipline come together to form the basis of these design gems.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":6483,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_s2mail":"no","footnotes":""},"categories":[1,631],"tags":[815,340,816,814,28,472],"class_list":["post-6473","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general","category-print","tag-book-covers","tag-creative","tag-illustrations","tag-inspired","tag-photography","tag-typography"],"yoast_head":"\n
\nAuthor and Illustrator: Eric Carle<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.mzuri.co.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/MZURI-BLOG-ARTICLE-SINGLE-IMAGE-\u2013-600px-wide-6x2-706x1024.jpg\")
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\nAuthor: John T. Cacioppo & William Patrick<\/strong>
\nDesigner: Peter Mendelsund<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n
Understanding the brief is essential<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.mzuri.co.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/MZURI-BLOG-ARTICLE-SINGLE-IMAGE-\u2013-600px-wide-5-copyx2-1024x799.jpg\")
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\nAuthor: Franz Kafka<\/strong>
\nDesigner: Peter Mendelsund<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.mzuri.co.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/MZURI-Artboard-156x2-1024x769.jpg\")
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\nAuthor: Nabokov<\/strong>
\nArt Director: Angus Hyland.<\/strong>
\nIllustrator: Agn\u00e8s Decourchelle (Ada or Ardor), Alan Charming Baker (Speak, Memory)<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n
Creating clever and engaging covers<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.mzuri.co.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/MZURI-BLOG-ARTICLE-SINGLE-IMAGE-\u2013-600px-wide-1x2-1024x767.jpg\")
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\nAuthor: George Orwell<\/strong>
\nDesigner: David Pearson<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nDesigner: Malika Favre<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.mzuri.co.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/MZURI-BLOG-ARTICLE-SINGLE-IMAGE-\u2013-600px-wide-5x2-706x1024.jpg\")
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\nAuthor: A. A. Milne<\/strong>
\nDesigner: E. H. Shepard<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n
A real source of inspiration<\/h2>\n