I was given a task to design a book cover for a university regulation book, titled as Academic Organisation and Study Regulation. This is in conjunction to the university 9th convocation as well as the official introduction to the School of Design. This in turn provide an appealing reason to replace the existing look on the mentioned book.
The client request that the campus color scheme is retain in the new design. I believe that these colours represent the faculty within the campus.
Other requirement includes the cover to be A4 sized (210 × 297 millimeters) while also having the files set to CMYK for colour accuracy and consistency in printing. Additionlly the project file should be set to 300 ppi for high quality printing resolution. These little things may be often overlooked editing software usually provide users with the optimal settings for web design by default unless the user specifies it.
I look upon some rule book, specifically the cover to better aid me in solidifying the concepts into a concrete design.
Above are some of the books that I am attracted to. I notice that these books have minimal graphics and simple background. My take on this is to keep the book formal while be able to give the reader an idea of the content of the book from the first glance.
Front cover (left) spine (middle) back cover (right)
I opted for a minimal design. Focusing on keeping only the significant elements. The main principle of this design is professionalism.
Initially I wanted to use white as the main cover colour but then decided to go with darker colour instead. This is because it provide the best contrast with the supporting colours while also express the sense of authority and intuitive.
The typeface I used on this cover is Xxii Geom Slab. Specifically a combination of 'Black' and 'Normal'. The font is based on serif, designed to help it fit into the modern age while retaining its traditional traits. A serif font is used as it give off a feeling of identity and standing strong to the core values. Times New Roman was considered but was replaced as the font does not give the 'exact' feeling that I want.
The front cover is spotted with the book title, encapsulated inside a hand-drawn tungsten light-bulb. The light-bulb is made up of the colours of the faculties and it symbolized 'insights' that can be useful to whomever, disregarding their faculty and intelligence. Reason for simulating painted strokes is to express creativity in thinking and application.
The boarder however symbolize authority and strict enforcement of regulations. The inclusion of the university logo is also important as to help spread the identity of the campus.
The back cover is given the logos of the awards won and also the essential details of the campus. Again being enforced by the same boarder.
