illustration . graphics . typography . print . Adobe Indesign . Adobe Photoshop
Cover art: Reimagining famous works of literature
For this project I selected three famous novels and redesigned
their covers - drawing on their themes and narratives to inform the designs.
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Novel 1:
TOORBERG
Written by Etienne van Heerden, this mystical murder-mystery takes place on the farm, 'Toorberg', shortly after a young boy falls to his death. The inverted cover image (made using charcoal) is that of the boy falling whilst the negative space underneath his figures is that of the titular mountain that the farm is named after.
Novel 1:
TOORBERG (Continued)
The story focuses on events from the past which refuse to remain buried and have an impact in the present. Drawing on this theme I created a cover that captures the larger-than-life nature of the story and the supernatural elements that underpin it.
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Novel 2:
THE TRIAL
'The Trial' is one of Franz Kafka's most famous works and follows a man named 'K' who is accused and arrested for an unspecified crime by two unnamed wardens working for an unknown authority. Kafkaesque in the best way, this novel is one of autonomic characters who seem to have unbridled trust in a system that desperately needs to be questioned.
Novel 2:
THE TRIAL (Continued)
I decided to play with the idea of faceless people working for a nameless organization. The final product is a wraparound image (created using gouache) of rows and rows of faceless figures staring out into the world. The cover elicits feelings of uncertainty
and wariness.
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Novel 3:
THE TRUE CONFESSIONS OF AN ALBINO TERRORIST
The writings of Breyten Breytenbach, during his seven years in prison, range from sardonic portrayals of jailers to internal monologues and documentations of his routines and experience whilst being incarcerated.
Novel 3:
THE TRUE CONFESSIONS OF AN ALBINO TERRORIST (Continued)
The cover is a wraparound image - painted using gouache - and depicts a prison cell wall and a bed. The cell wall is covered in tally marks and the large letters of the title mimics the look and feel of the these marks.
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