A 10-page concept book reimagining the way chapter one of Charles Dickens’ novel, Great Expectations, is read.
This is the front and back cover. The title follows the form of a rising staircase, building up the expectations for something great, only to be let down in a fumbling mess of letters, mirroring the disappointment of Dickens’ own character, Pip.
I designed the table of contents to organize the novel's massive list of chapters and present it in a way that is dynamic and visually engaging. The small numbers indicate the beginning page of a chapter; these are arranged in columns of five, and the top page number has its chapter indicated in large type, bordering the left side of the column. These clusters form the building blocks of a pattern of right angles, mirroring the motion of the “Table of Contents” heading, and alluding to an idea of growing anticipation.
Every column of text is cut in such a way that the top and bottom has a continuous line of text, leaving it with a clean, sharp edge, perfectly sculpted for even stacking.
The vibrant red callout and staircase shapes intensify the threatening words of Dickens’ convict character.
The red callouts descending across both pages emphasize the progression of tension with each of the convict’s demands.
