Conceptual Book Cover
This project is to become familiar with a literary work, and to create a cover for it that shows the reader what the book is about, alludes to the principles and themes of the story, and displays accurately what the book is about using design.
Typography book cover
Typography Book Cover
I took a lot of inspirations from covers of Les Misérables in this design with the intricate details and lilting ornamentation that is seen so often in french design from the time period that the book takes place in, examples of which can be seen on page 23 in my first handmade materials cover which pictures a collage of French textile designs from 1815 to 1835. I think the designs in the corners of the design create a leading line which places the focus on the type in the center of the cover, and using plenty of white space so that the designs aren’t too overstated.
Handmade book cover
Handmade Book Cover
For this cover I found a lot of my materials from textbooks in my local library, then took scans and cut and glued each piece and then scanned in the finished product. There is imagery on the candlesticks that are mentioned in the beginning of the book that were given to Jean Valjean as a gift and a reminder of his promise to the Bishop of Digne become an honest man. One of my assets is the picture that takes focal in the center of the design that depicts a woman, man, and a young girl which I thought was fitting to represent Fantine, Cosette, and Valjean.
Designer's choice book cover
Designer's Choice Book Cover
For my designer's choice, I decided to stick with my strong suit and create a design of my own in illustrator. This design, again, plays on the silver given to Valjean in he beginning of the book, and I think the muted grayscale color palette of this design reflects the feeling and overall somber tone of the book.
