With it being a book cover design brief – there is a need for research to be undertaken in order to understand what covers have already been done as well as understand what sort of book covers are created within the adult fiction category to gain a feel for the audience.
Existing Norwegian Wood Covers:
It is clear from the images above that there is a common theme within the covers – the use of a block colour circle, as well as the colour red. From all the covers depicted, the top, left image is my favourite for its clever use of symbolism. The red background with the white circle is like an inverted Japanese flag, with the inside of the circle depicting what look like trees, but with further investigation appear to look like three pairs of legs – representing three characters. The top, middle and right images use actual photographs of people – both of a female individual, with both using the block colour circle on the face of the figures. The top middle provides a sense of unease and almost reminds me of the James Bond film title sequence that ends with a circle – usually red – depicting a gun shot and death. This for me feels as though the girl on the cover will perhaps come into some form of danger – even death. The final two covers take on two different approaches. The bottom left, uses an outline of half of a circle with appearances of a solid line as well as a broken line. The background is full of movement and makes me feel as though time is passing by – as if everything becomes a blur. It is an interesting take on the story and is different what has been seen. The bottom middle image takes a much more illustrative approach with large type on the front – again with the inclusion of a red circle as the letter ‘o’. I’m unsure what it is trying to depict, I can see a shape of a guitar, or an instrument of that nature. I also feel I can make out a silhouette of a woman within the blue and brown shapes. This in itself makes it an interesting cover as what I am able to make out may be different to someone else.
Looking into each of the covers depicted above, it is clear that the use of the circle is symbolic in the story – looking into the circle of life, as well as it being based in Japan, there is a clear link with the circle and the flag. Although I will aim to avoid the use of block colour circles within my design, I will not disregard circles altogether for their symbolic meaning within the story. I believe that if a circle is to be used, it needs to be well-considered and used in a different manner than what has been seen. I will also avoid the use of photography within the design as I think it gives away a lot more of the plot than is intended and does not create an air of mystery as much as other techniques. I am trying to disregard the use of photography within book cover design – it can work well in cases. I simply don’t feel it is the strongest approach for this cover.
Adult Fiction Covers:
Above is a selection of covers found on the Waterstone’s website in the adult fiction category. A varied selection has been made in order to see the variety of covers that can be found within this genre. I also selected these covers as these are the ones that can be found within book shops and are titles that people are picking up and buying – therefore the book covers themselves play a role in the purchasing.
It is clear from the style of imagery depicted across all covers that there is a higher level of maturity compared to what can be seen from children’s book covers. The use of typography is much more subtle and carefully considered, some of the covers have played with typography much more than others such as ‘The Wall’ for example. As already stated there is a mix of covers chosen including; photography, illustration and mark-making – using textures to be seen. The top left image has used photography through distorted glass in order to depict the figure of a woman – who can’t be seen properly. This creates a mysterious feeling with the red material further creating an air of mystery as well as love and passion. The top middle cover is primarily type-based and is a much more light-hearted and playful cover. The play within the letter ‘b’ in the word ‘break’ takes a literal approach, but its subtle use prevents it from being overly cliché. The small suitcase illustration at the bottom has a comical style to it and therefore creates a witty and funny feel to the book and what its about.
The top right book plays on contrast and juxtaposition visually. The hand-rendered ‘Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine’ encased in burnt matchsticks creates a sense that she is not fine. It again takes a much more comical approach with the deep black type also emphasising the feel that the title is untrue. Moving on, the middle left book is very illustrative. It uses a single block colour for the background – which in itself is very eye-catching. However, the illustration of the sardine tin with two people in it again juxtaposes the title ‘Normal People’ (for the obvious reason the people don’t sleep in sardine cans). It is an extremely simple and minimal cover that says all it needs to. It gives a sense that people are not normal – for whatever reason the plot of the book is about. The middle, centre cover is a book of Japanese short stories. The cover for this cannot allude to a particular story as it clearly has multiple stories within it. The cover therefore takes an illustrative and minimal approach that results in giving a feel of Japanese culture. The order, toned down colours and choice in type all work together to create a sense of Japanese culture. The final book in the middle row titled ‘Peach’ is again an illustrative book cover. It is much more straight forward – depicting an individual putting on a pair of underwear. The name Peach would allude to it being a female, it also feels rather feminine which adds to that. The dark grey background creates a darker atmosphere and I feel there unease within the plot of the story.
Finally on the bottom left is a book titled ‘The Wall’. This cover is much more focused on type as well as having a illustrative quality to it. The type of the title is very structured and creates the sense of a solid wall or structure of some form. The subtle line illustration in the bottom left corner feels like water or perhaps contour lines on a map. It does not give much away and there is a lot that the viewer is able to take away from it and read into themselves. The bottom, centre image is another illustrative cover using shapes to form the figure of a woman. It is clear that the red dress is significant in the story as that is the focus of the cover. The head appears to be facing towards the ground and the circle falling from the face may be a tear? All in all it creates a very sad and uneasy atmosphere. Last but not least is the bottom, right cover which is photographic. It is an image of a milk glass used for ‘A Clockwork Orange’. With it being such a well-known and famous book, with many depictions of the cover designed over the years – I find the milk glass to be an intriguing one. I have never read the book myself and I feel I cannot read into what the milk glass is trying to depict – only that it will probably make sense once I read the book.
Overall, having researched a variety of covers, I have found that all of the covers work well to give an essence of what the book is about without giving too much away. I think some hold back more than others – which isn’t necessarily a bad thing depending on the story. The more minimal covers are more intriguing to look at and to try and depict what they are saying. This is something I will definitely bear in mind when developing my designs in order to ensure I am depicting an essence of the book; its plot, where its based and the emotions.
Maris Latham 