Penguin Classics
I have mentioned during my Oxford Literary Festival Analysis that I will look at some Penguin classic book covers as I believe that they hold a very traditional and clean appearance which reflects the nature of the Oxford Literary Festival website. The target audience is very important to me so it is ideal to create something that is aimed towards them.
Instead of analysing book cover by cover, I shall just create a mood board so that I can pin-point any reoccurring features.
image sources: all from http://www.penguinclassics.co.uk/ par the last one on the first line which is from flickr (but designed by Penguin Classics)
The first line are book from the 19th century but have more of a focus on illustrated patterns. Another running aspect in their designs is that they use the same serif font for the book title and a sans serif in uppercase for the author, although for Moby Dick and Alice in Wonderland they used the same font for the author's name. The position of these are usually centred but vary in terms of being right at the centre, top or bottom.
The second line also features books from the 19th century but they have a more serious format in the sense that there are strong barriers to separate the paintings/photographs from the author's name and book title. This restricts the painting despite it having a larger surface area than the type and creates the appearance of being aimed at more at adults rather than teenagers or children.
The type of paintings shown produces connotations of the upperclass because such paintings were extremely expensive and are normally shown in an art gallery or in castles where royals requested portrait paintings. This then makes the book cover seem as if it's aimed at an intellectual audience who takes reading literature seriously.
The third line is a mixture of covers that didn't fit in the structure of the first two.
I have discovered that the book designs vary according to what genre they fit into; the ones on the first line are from the 19th century, the second is also from the 19th century but with a slightly different and more strict format, and the third line cover various designs that did not fit the first two structures. This shows that Penguin Classics don't have strict guidelines on their book cover structure so it is possible to design something completely out of the box.
Nevertheless I decided to carry on with my search for inspiration and that's when I found some illustrated-hand-lettered book covers by Jim Tierney.
Typographic Book Covers & Designs
Jim Tierney - http://www.jimtierneyart.com/
The layout of this design mirrors the structure used in the top line of the mood board I had gathered, and this is emphasised by the use of vector illustrations and patterned background. Even though the vector illustrations on the other Penguin books are minimalist, Jim Tierney took his to the next step by making them appear simple at first but then adds a very decorative feature to counteract with that thought (e.g. the swirls at the bottom of the portrait silhouette).
This mixture of minimalist and decorative creates a nice balance to the design as it isn't overpowered with detail nor does it appear very simple and “boring”.
All of the elements are centred yet there is more of a focus on the book title because it's a different colour to the rest (everything else is black) which is brought out by having a similar coloured patterned criss-cross background. This background brings up connotations of finery as quilted leather bags have a similar pattern.
This connotation of finery contrasts strongly to the protests of the people during the French Revolution who had tried to combat against some noblemen who flaunted their riches (as France was deeply affected by the expensive wars, especially the lower-class). By creating very elegant Art-Nouveau-inspired borders with plain colours could be a way of showing that there can be peace among the poor and rich, which is aided by the fact that there are “simple” forms on the page mixed together with intricate details.
One of these “simple” forms is the typography, as it holds the basic serif structure but has some swirls on some of the letters such as A, R, K and N. Even though these details are quite subtle is does effect the outcome of the design overall because it links the type with the swirls on the borders.
The x-height of the letters is quite high whereas the width is short, which gives it a slightly stretched and gothic appearance due to the hairline and sharp serifs. The letters are made to seem thicker due to the lack of contrast between thick and thin strokes, and softer by the way some swirls are added to the tails.
It seems that only one typeface is used from the similarities shown in the author's name and book title, and it's very similar to the type used for “Penguin Classics” and “Deluxe Edition”. This therefore helps support that balance of minimalist and decorative as it doesn't make the design seem cluttered with numerous typefaces and styles.
Conclusion:
I really admire the way Tierney created a balance between minimalist and decorative and how he mirrored the structure shown in some Penguin Classic books. I would like to use similar aspects such as the detailed borders for my design to emphasise the fact that it's a novelty book only appreciated by those who attend the festival.
References: http://polizeros.com/2011/02/21/clashing-political-clothes-french-revolution-style/
Tanamachi Studio - http://tanamachistudio.com/
This design contrasts strongly with Jim Tierney's book cover, and is definitely more illustrative-based with a wild variety of colours. There is a strong presence of chalk-lettering involved which is very unusual for book covers and this is possibly the first time I have ever seen chalk-lettering being used for them. They are normally restricted to pub boards and posters, but here it has worked perfectly.
This is mainly because of the book choice and how the designer had made everything centred (a trend I had noticed in previous book covers). The colours reflect the book perfectly and brings an element of magic to it through the use of purple and green – both of which are used in the play “Wicked” as well as children's Halloween costumes. This therefore relates to the world of fantasy and magic that is Oz as well as that childish excitement of being in a fantasy world.
This design seems slightly cluttered due to the numerous elements in the background such as the lines that face the typography, the number of thin borderlines, and the swirls within the oval shape. However all of these little elements face towards the typography which highlights it's significance, and as there is a hint of the black background it doesn't look as cluttered as it would be if they used differently coloured backgrounds or had the lines completely fill it.
There is quite a large amount of different type styles in this design as well which reflects the basis of chalk-lettering where the illustrators would often mix different styles together. This could be the reason why this design looks less like a book and more like a chalk-lettering board or poster, but it definitely gives it an interesting appearance because of how different it is. This contrast in the “traditional” book cover appearance and this design would then bring more of a focus to it if it's placed on a shelf with other books, and a child would automatically pick it up because of it's wild colours.
Conclusion:
Although I am a bit wary of using plenty of type styles within one poster, I find that it really works with this book cover due to the subject matter and target audience. It highly contrasts with the traditional book cover design which makes it very bold and “fun”. Even though a very bold and fun book design might not be ideal for my target audience, I still take inspiration from this because it's unusual.
Kate O'Hara - https://www.behance.net/gallery/Ely-Senior-Thesis-Poster/13373833
Although this isn't a book cover I am very inspired by it's format and high attention to detail. Everything has been presented clearly despite the intricate swirls curling around it, and that's due to the fact that she had left an adequate amount of spacing so that the type could breathe.
The forms of the swirls mirror the insects and as they fly up into the air. This creates an overall dynamic appearance, and allows the reader to gently follow it's form and pick up the information in set stages. These stages were laid out by the designer to ensure that the reader would follow in her exact pattern and their eyes wouldn't go off track. I didn't even notice the insects that much at first as I was so fixated on the actual writing having been led down the page via the swirls.
This dynamic motion is very inspirational because it shows that even if it's a poster, elaborate illustrations do work in a way to lead the eye. Before I had come across this poster I always thought that detail should be solely left to other illustrations and never dreamt of seeing them on a poster. With the growing interest in image-based products, perhaps it is time to slowly drift into creating a heavily illustrative book cover?
Of course there is that worry that the illustration might be too overwhelming, but here the designer has cleverly side-stepped that notion by making some parts of the swirls behind the type and fade into the shadows. I might try out a similar technique if I do happen to produce an illustrative book cover.
The type choice for this only emphasises the elegance within the poster as she used a very 'soft' serif typeface that has tiny swashes and little details that connect it with the swirls. I initially thought serifs were too strong and contained that very upper-class connotation, but by reducing the size of these serifs she had made it appear friendly.
Conclusion:
Although I am worried that I might not be able to do a very illustrative book cover due to my target audience, this poster is very inspirational because it has that perfect mixture of being decorative without it being overpowering. If I do create an equally elaborate piece then I shall keep her techniques in mind so that the main focus would be on the type.
Speaking of type, I think I might try out a serif font with short serifs if my sans serif idea doesn't turn out right.
This mixture of minimalist and decorative creates a nice balance to the design as it isn't overpowered with detail nor does it appear very simple and “boring”.
All of the elements are centred yet there is more of a focus on the book title because it's a different colour to the rest (everything else is black) which is brought out by having a similar coloured patterned criss-cross background. This background brings up connotations of finery as quilted leather bags have a similar pattern.
This connotation of finery contrasts strongly to the protests of the people during the French Revolution who had tried to combat against some noblemen who flaunted their riches (as France was deeply affected by the expensive wars, especially the lower-class). By creating very elegant Art-Nouveau-inspired borders with plain colours could be a way of showing that there can be peace among the poor and rich, which is aided by the fact that there are “simple” forms on the page mixed together with intricate details.
One of these “simple” forms is the typography, as it holds the basic serif structure but has some swirls on some of the letters such as A, R, K and N. Even though these details are quite subtle is does effect the outcome of the design overall because it links the type with the swirls on the borders.
The x-height of the letters is quite high whereas the width is short, which gives it a slightly stretched and gothic appearance due to the hairline and sharp serifs. The letters are made to seem thicker due to the lack of contrast between thick and thin strokes, and softer by the way some swirls are added to the tails.
It seems that only one typeface is used from the similarities shown in the author's name and book title, and it's very similar to the type used for “Penguin Classics” and “Deluxe Edition”. This therefore helps support that balance of minimalist and decorative as it doesn't make the design seem cluttered with numerous typefaces and styles.
Conclusion:
I really admire the way Tierney created a balance between minimalist and decorative and how he mirrored the structure shown in some Penguin Classic books. I would like to use similar aspects such as the detailed borders for my design to emphasise the fact that it's a novelty book only appreciated by those who attend the festival.
References: http://polizeros.com/2011/02/21/clashing-political-clothes-french-revolution-style/
Tanamachi Studio - http://tanamachistudio.com/
This design contrasts strongly with Jim Tierney's book cover, and is definitely more illustrative-based with a wild variety of colours. There is a strong presence of chalk-lettering involved which is very unusual for book covers and this is possibly the first time I have ever seen chalk-lettering being used for them. They are normally restricted to pub boards and posters, but here it has worked perfectly.
This is mainly because of the book choice and how the designer had made everything centred (a trend I had noticed in previous book covers). The colours reflect the book perfectly and brings an element of magic to it through the use of purple and green – both of which are used in the play “Wicked” as well as children's Halloween costumes. This therefore relates to the world of fantasy and magic that is Oz as well as that childish excitement of being in a fantasy world.
This design seems slightly cluttered due to the numerous elements in the background such as the lines that face the typography, the number of thin borderlines, and the swirls within the oval shape. However all of these little elements face towards the typography which highlights it's significance, and as there is a hint of the black background it doesn't look as cluttered as it would be if they used differently coloured backgrounds or had the lines completely fill it.
There is quite a large amount of different type styles in this design as well which reflects the basis of chalk-lettering where the illustrators would often mix different styles together. This could be the reason why this design looks less like a book and more like a chalk-lettering board or poster, but it definitely gives it an interesting appearance because of how different it is. This contrast in the “traditional” book cover appearance and this design would then bring more of a focus to it if it's placed on a shelf with other books, and a child would automatically pick it up because of it's wild colours.
Conclusion:
Although I am a bit wary of using plenty of type styles within one poster, I find that it really works with this book cover due to the subject matter and target audience. It highly contrasts with the traditional book cover design which makes it very bold and “fun”. Even though a very bold and fun book design might not be ideal for my target audience, I still take inspiration from this because it's unusual.
Kate O'Hara - https://www.behance.net/gallery/Ely-Senior-Thesis-Poster/13373833
Although this isn't a book cover I am very inspired by it's format and high attention to detail. Everything has been presented clearly despite the intricate swirls curling around it, and that's due to the fact that she had left an adequate amount of spacing so that the type could breathe.
The forms of the swirls mirror the insects and as they fly up into the air. This creates an overall dynamic appearance, and allows the reader to gently follow it's form and pick up the information in set stages. These stages were laid out by the designer to ensure that the reader would follow in her exact pattern and their eyes wouldn't go off track. I didn't even notice the insects that much at first as I was so fixated on the actual writing having been led down the page via the swirls.
This dynamic motion is very inspirational because it shows that even if it's a poster, elaborate illustrations do work in a way to lead the eye. Before I had come across this poster I always thought that detail should be solely left to other illustrations and never dreamt of seeing them on a poster. With the growing interest in image-based products, perhaps it is time to slowly drift into creating a heavily illustrative book cover?
Of course there is that worry that the illustration might be too overwhelming, but here the designer has cleverly side-stepped that notion by making some parts of the swirls behind the type and fade into the shadows. I might try out a similar technique if I do happen to produce an illustrative book cover.
The type choice for this only emphasises the elegance within the poster as she used a very 'soft' serif typeface that has tiny swashes and little details that connect it with the swirls. I initially thought serifs were too strong and contained that very upper-class connotation, but by reducing the size of these serifs she had made it appear friendly.
Conclusion:
Although I am worried that I might not be able to do a very illustrative book cover due to my target audience, this poster is very inspirational because it has that perfect mixture of being decorative without it being overpowering. If I do create an equally elaborate piece then I shall keep her techniques in mind so that the main focus would be on the type.
Speaking of type, I think I might try out a serif font with short serifs if my sans serif idea doesn't turn out right.
Literature Quotes Collections
I decided to take a look at other literary collections just so I can see what kind of designs that my book would be competing with in the book market.
Image sources: all from amazon.co.uk
There isn't really a set structure that connects all of these designs that I had gathered from amazon, although it does seem like there is a trend in a centre alignment for most of the elements - especially the book title and author's name.
Poetry & Other Books
This gave me the idea to have a look at poetry books and similar books that hold a collection of poems and stories because this is basically what my book is going to be like (but having a collection of quotes instead). However I do know that these books might not necessarily fit my target audience so I shall only focus on what kind of information is displayed on the front cover.
Poetry
Poetry
What I've noticed about most of these books is that - aside from the bright colours - that they mostly write either "edited by (name)" or "compiled by (name)". This could be something that I could do for my book because obviously I didn't write the quotes myself but had collected them from other people.
I am pleasantly surprised by the amount of illustration and how they are the main focus of these poetry books. I am unsure of whether or not to do some illustration for my book cover or just some typography, but at least I could easily gather some inspiration if I do go with illustration.
The illustrator is normally credited on the front cover which is something I haven't noticed before in the books I've read. Normally they'd be written on the first page on the left-hand side along with a list of publishers... Maybe I should credit my name on the front as well? I think I need to look at other books and not just poetry ones to see what they've done.
Other Books
It's strange how there's a stark contrast between novels and poetry books in terms of illustrator's names; in poetry books they are quite obvious, but they show no sign on the front covers of novels. The credits might lie within the first couple of pages of the book itself.
Once again, illustration is quite dominant across all of these book covers (although "I am Malala" has a photograph). This might make it difficult for me to look for inspiration from these sources because I want to focus more on typography. The book covers that has any hint of hand-lettering is "The Fault in Our Stars" and "To Kill A Mockingbird" although they have been put together with illustration.
Back Covers
I'm not too sure if I'll actually include a blurb but I thought it would be ideal to include some images of the back covers of books so that I know what kind of alignment to go for.
image sources: all from amazon.co.uk
Back Covers
I'm not too sure if I'll actually include a blurb but I thought it would be ideal to include some images of the back covers of books so that I know what kind of alignment to go for.
image sources: all from amazon.co.uk
It seems that most of these are centre-aligned, according to the format of the book and how much information there is to be displayed. As I'm unsure of what my book covers will look like I shall leave this for now but keep it in mind at a later stage.
Reflective Thinking - Summary
From this I've learnt that I should write "Book of Quotes, compiled and illustrated by Liz Owen" on the front cover which is a relief because I was worried that I'd get stuck on what to write on it. Luckily there are plenty of poetry books out there to give me a general idea!
Despite the fact that I am pleased that there is quite a lot of illustration involved with book covers I find that they might be too crowded for the festival. From what I have learnt from my previous analysis, I have to produce a fairly 'clean' and professional book cover so none of the poetry books and novels would be good in terms of aesthetics for the Oxford Literary Festival. The type of cover that I would need to aim for would look more like the Penguin Classics with their minimalist designs, although I will put more of the focus on the typography than illustration.
This interest in illustrations shows that books are slowly veering away from photography and "plain" designs where it just features one typeface. This could also represent the way our society are moving to the more image-based products and so it wouldn't be an oddity to have a hand-lettered illustrated book cover, because book covers are slowly going towards that region.
What I might do is try to fit my book cover design within the criteria of a "novelty" book of Penguin Classics books but give it my own twist as I don't want it to seem that only people who are seriously into reading could enjoy reading it. This might be difficult because there will be some members of my target audience who would prefer the minimalist-no-illustration format but because of our growing interest in image-based products (as shown in the Penguin book covers) my book could still have potential with those who are more interested in eye-catching and bold designs that break the moulds of the serious layout.
My next step will therefore be drawing up some sketches for "Book of Quotes, compiled and illustrated by Liz Owen", and then I will work on what to put on the back cover and inside pages.
Learning Outcomes:
[4] Developed research skills in the area of contemporary professional practice.
[8] Developed their ability to scan and organise data, abstract meaning from information and communicate knowledge in a variety of formats.
[6] Developed skills of critical thinking, analysis and evaluation.
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