Contextual Research - Penguin Books

Bethany Rush - Murakami's Norwegian Wood

My redesign of Murakami's Norwegian Wood focuses on the characters’ desire for understanding pain through letter writing.  I looked to create something that reflects both the author's story and the way in which he writes it. By creating a detailed and sympathetic response to the brief, I wanted to create the same sense of symbolic possibility Murakami uses to construct his narrative. Each stamp is a representation of the main characters and I have appropriated the traditional Japanese style using the symbols, metaphors and allegories that have been weaved throughout the book.

I love the way in which Rush has visually communicated multiple aspects of the novel from the content, to the motif's, to the author's story all through one idea. She has been really sensitive in her approach and even connected the type to the author - having it cascading down the page rather than across. She has shown great attention detail - there are three stamps on the cover which could have just been a design choice, however, each stamp actually represents a character. I think that this shows great consideration to the novel and the readers who would appreciate these thoughtful elements. By focusing on an envelope she has given herself a grid to work with which makes working with the elements on the page easier as well as making her idea instantly readable. To develop her design further I think that she could have either tried to break the grid that she made for herself or push it to it's limits. She did not carry the envelope theme onto the back cover of the design and I think that was a missed opportunity. The back cover almost looks rushed - there is no thought or continuation of the the theme there.

Kate Garnet - Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit

"It took a good two weeks of whittling down three or four rough notions to my final idea. ‘Orange Is Not The Only Fruit’ by Jeanette Winterson tells the story of a woman who spends most of the book trying to come to terms with the strict, religious environment in which she has been raised. My cover uses the Bible to symbolise this narrative. Once I had decided on the direction to take, it took another two weeks to get the look just right."

I enjoy Garnet's cover because of the creative, strong idea behind it as well as the execution. She took a simple themes from the book, coming to terms with religion, and visually communicated it perfectly in one manipulated image. Thus, creating a cover that is both graphic and illustrative in it's imagery and type. I do wish, however, that Garnet would have incorporated the elements in the bottom left white square within the design. Just in some way, so that it didn't stand out so starkly from the strong design. I also think that the typeface used for the title should have been revised. In relation to the rest of the design, especially the author's name, it does not read well. It's almost as though it floats on top of the cover with no relation or meaning to the text at all. 

Madalyn Farley - To Kill A Mockingbird

“The left hand is significant in To Kill a Mockingbird as a key symbol of innocence, whereas the open palm suggests vulnerability – two key themes of the story that inspired me.

“I included the small bird-foot detailing in the creases of the hand to subtly reference the title without using the obvious mockingbird imagery. The writing in the creases of the hand refers to fate and is my way of linking the title to the story. The bold contrast in colours refers to racial divisions in 1930s America, another core theme in the book that inspired me to create this cover.”

The thing that I like best about Farley's cover for To Kill A Mockingbird is the bright yellow that has been used to contrast with the black, Although no justification has been mentioned in her rationale, I think that it probably links to some research into existing covers and what grabs buyers attention - as the colour is eye-catching and captivating. Furthermore, the hand imagery is a good choice of symbolism as it is carried out throughout the novel, and the contrast in colour further communicates the racial issues discussed within the book. To me, the typeface used represents the young protagonist of the novel, even though this was not mentioned in the rationale.