OUGD406 - Book Design - Final 5

OUGD406

Book Design

Final 5

This design is purely typographic. It uses a naive blue background as this is a classic colour which reflects how most people feel about this highly regarded book. The quote on the front of the book reads 'shoot all the blue jays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember its a sin'. The quote is a slightly darker blue than the rest of the cover to add a subtle point of interest. The idea that if this cover was to be published the darkest type would have a gloss to add texture to the cover. The quote on the front and the copy text on the back uses a typewriter font (pt mono) to reflect the time when the book was set. The title uses Bodoni as it compliments the typewriter font. It also captures attention without being overpowering. The title has altered kerning to add interest. This cover is simple and has some sophisticated elements but I don't think it reflects the story or the character of the book well enough to be used in this competition.

This cover uses 'Scouts handwriting' for the title and name of author. It is based on the idea that scout is the narrator of the book and the cover reflects this. I kept the rest of the design very simple and used a horizontal gird with the authors name on the left of the user third and the title to the right in the lower third. The middle third is negative space. The type on the back cover uses Kohinoor Bangla, a sans serif simple text which is similar to helvetica but without the commercial feel that helvetica carries. the design is very stripped back and the idea is interesting. However, Im not sure the design will be enough to catch the judges attention and the typography may make the cover seem a like a horror story. I think the concept is understandable if the reader knows the storey line already and understands that it is narrated by a 6 year old. 

This cover is based on the part of the story where tom robinson is shot dead after trying to escape from jail. The sleeve shows 7 bullet holes to represent the seven shots fired at tom. The bullet hole are hand drawn and altered in illustrator. the grid system for this cover is a loose version of the horizontal grid. Superclarendon is the only typeface used in this design as it is powerful and makes an impact. This suits the feel of the cover as it is a bold design. The design would work better is it was photographic weather the drawn.

This design is narrative. It shows Scout and Jem looking in to the Radley house on the front cover. The back cover shows Boo Radley looking out. It makes the audience wonder what the relationship is between these character. At first I might seem strange that a adult is watching these children however by the end of the book the reader realises Boo is looking out for the children, trying to protect them. This cover concentrates on the relationships in the book rather than the racial issues. The typeface used for the title and authors name is Andale mono and the copy text on the back is Ariel. I chose these because they are simple but reflect the time. The imagery was created using collage which is an analogue technique, the type writer writing also an analogue technique to complement this. Using this  collage techniques means there is a lot of copy write issues so this could make this design inappropriate for the competition. If I were to take this design further I would change the colour to something that is relevant to the storyline as the current colour is not justified. I would also change the grid slightly as the text on the back cover looks awkward,

This design uses the Marber grid. This grid looks complicated when planned out but the final result is refined and leaves negative space. The grid suits the delicate illustrations of the birds. This is an obvious response but the most successful book covers have included birds and I want to replicate this success but add something original. the typeface is Baskerville. I think this typeface reflect the ongoing relevance and continued success of this book as the typeface has been used for many years and continues to be relevant in design today (just like the book). The illustrations can symbolise the innocence of the children in the book, something that couldn't be replicated using photography. The blue is almost muted but beautiful colour. A bright blue would not be appropriate as there are some dark themes in the book. This blue symbolises hope.