Adrian Shaughnessy in 'Graphic Design: A User's Manual' suggests that it is possible that book cover designers can be considered visual critics; creating covers that reflect how they felt about the book- not retelling it.
I decided to do a series all under the poetry theme, including:
- The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe
- Under Milk Wood by Dylan Thomas
- Three Lives by Gertrude Stein
This meant that the covers needed to have a contemporary feeling that all shared a similar aesthetic. I began by reading extracts from the books and looking at summaries and reviews. I wanted to paint spontaneous and passionate imagery that could be placed in the rigid Marber grid layout.
The pallets designers use
are often black, white and one or two other colours. This is to
create a strong and bold foundation for communication with a limited pallet. I wanted to use a simple set of three tones in the paintings- black, blue and yellow, to follow this approach. The choice being to link to the colours of a bruise and the pain that poets often communicate. Poetry is often something that can be exposing as well, it could be seen as revealing past wounds. I am a fan of poetry which is why I chose these books, it is often the case that a passion for the subject is reflected in design work.
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| The Raven. I wanted it to seem dark and enigmatic. |
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| Under Milk Wood. This book's theme is all about the narrative, I wanted the eyes to reflect a perception and scrutiny. |
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| Three Lives. To show how three women's lives interlock, despite the privilege of the author. |
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