THE GRASS IS GREENER ON THE OTHER SIDE SERIES
Book Jacket Design
Book Jacket Design
OPPORTUNITY
Design book jackets for a cohesive series of Penguin Classics.
SOLUTION
The Grass Is Always Greener On The Other Side series explores the age-old phenomenon of the innate human desire for more that often leaves us empty and unsatisfied. The protagonists in these stories are so obsessed by their greed that they will do anything to get it — even giving up their souls and all morality.
They are too blinded by greed to realize that they really had everything they either needed or wanted in the first place.
They are too blinded by greed to realize that they really had everything they either needed or wanted in the first place.
Paper was chosen because it mirrors the impermanence and instability of greed, mimicking the illusion of satisfaction. Green, chosen for its common association with greed, reminds us of being green with envy, green with sickness, and finally, green with death, the final product of our greed. For Dorian Gray, the reflective material mirrors the protagonist’s self-love and narcissism; for Doctor Faustus, a book reveals his pursuit
for ultimate knowledge; for Mephisto a velveteen texture tells of the power and ego of the acting career which lies behind the curtain; for Tom Walker, gold represents the temptation we all face of money, treasure, and worldly possessions.
for ultimate knowledge; for Mephisto a velveteen texture tells of the power and ego of the acting career which lies behind the curtain; for Tom Walker, gold represents the temptation we all face of money, treasure, and worldly possessions.
