This project helped me deepen my ability to design in a way that portrays more than just an object, but rather a deeper idea or concept. This project specifically dealt with creating three book covers for one classic book of choice. My choice was The Giver by Lois Lowry.
Message 1: The Importance of Memories, Past and Present.
In The Giver, they live in a society that has forgotten much of the past because it was deemed unsafe and painful, so they simply eliminated it as a whole. However, the leaders of this society recognized the importance of those memories, because if you do not remember your errors, you may repeat them. So, to eliminate the possibility of past humankind mistakes being repeated over and over, they assign someone to be a Receiver of Memory, that has access to all memories of the past, both good and bad.
Message 2: Life is Only Complete with the Good AND Bad.
Jonas, the protagonist, becomes the Receiver of Memory, and slowly begins to learn the history of the past. He discovers much bad, while also discovering a whole lot of good. As he undergoes training, he realizes that without pain, there is no true happiness. As he recognizes this truth, he sees that everyone in his society is missing out on a whole lot of experiences and longs for everyone to have access to these memories, and so he goes on a journey, a rather dangerous one, just to free people of no memory.
Message 3: The Freedom of Breaking Out of Sameness.
In The Giver, everything is the same. Color has been removed, life choices have been taken from the individuals, everyone is assigned to where they will live and how many children they will have. There is no difference between the people, all roles get the same praise and none are more or less important. This seems at first glance like it would solve a lot of the world’s problems, however there is a freedom that comes from breaking out of this routine and being an individual, as discovered by Jonas.
After diving into the book and finding its main messages, I did a bunch of visual research to help me in my creation of my book covers. Some of my research included a written word list, looking at existing covers, and collecting some other inspiring visual assets.
HANDMADE MATERIALS: My handmade material book cover is successful because it shows the message of life being incomplete without wisdom. The way the papers are ripped and placed together with the apple not correctly resembling an apple adds intrique. However, the way that you can still tell that the red shape is an apple helps with the message of the book in that once you find the missing parts of a puzzle, you can decide your future for yourself.
TYPOGRAPHY: My typography book cover is successful because it shows the importance of individual agency and standing out from the rest, which is a key part of the book. Another reason is because it has enough contrast to be easy to read, while still making the reader look twice to make sure it’s what they think it is. The letters are bold, yet with the color taken away it makes a statement to help people realize how stale things are with no differences.
DESIGNER'S CHOICE: My designer’s choice book cover is successful because it shows the dystopian nature of the book and shows the importance of individuality. The torn off house that is in full color while the others are black and white shows the message of breaking free from sameness and experiencing true freedom in agency. The way the letters are cut out adds a level of dimension that is a common theme seen throughout the book as well.
