Designing the cover art for books is an ever-changing area of visual communications that demands a clever use of word and image in order to draw in a reader. An effective cover design can be seen in Chip Kidd’s work on Haruki Murakami’s book of short stories titled Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman.
From the minute you enter a bookstore there are hundreds of books on front displays vying for your attention. There is an increasing demand for new and creative ways to capture the attention of the customer. The art of book cover design typically incorporates both word and image to lure the consumer into wanting to read more. Something that a designer must get right in designing cover art would be the spine of the book.
From the minute you enter a bookstore there are hundreds of books on front displays vying for your attention. There is an increasing demand for new and creative ways to capture the attention of the customer. The art of book cover design typically incorporates both word and image to lure the consumer into wanting to read more. Something that a designer must get right in designing cover art would be the spine of the book.
On a shelf with many other books of bland, uniform color palettes and monotonous play on typography, a spine with dusty lavender and the corner of a woman’s eye instantly draws attention. On the basis of Lauer’s book of Basic Design, human form and isolation creates an instant focal point.
When a customer takes the book off of the shelf to view the rest of the cover, they see the woman’s other eye. She is looking directly at the customer. The eyes of the woman leave you wanting more, it evokes curiosity. The image of the woman’s eyes looks like a screen capture from an old film.
There are bold, contrasting stripes of black, lavender, cream, cranberry, and a hint robin's egg blue. The black and lavender stripe contours around the woman’s eyes, which creates a progressive rhythm to the other stripes of red, cream, and robin's egg blue. The overall color palette is warm and subdued and looks like a book that would be found in a used bookshop.
The layout of the text mimicks the shapes of the dominant image of the woman's eyes. The text used to state the author's name, Haruki Murakami, is placed horizontally next to the horizontal image of the eyes. Even this font has a look of 1960s nostalgia with a whimsical feel. The trail of letters that create the title are placed diagonally in the shape of the contoured stripe around the woman’s eyes, or even in the shape of an eye.
The main image set the tone for the rest of the layout, including the layout of the text. Overall, the use of image and text is in a direct relationship, mimicking each other’s general shapes. The success of this cover design lies in its playful use of color and shapes.
There are bold, contrasting stripes of black, lavender, cream, cranberry, and a hint robin's egg blue. The black and lavender stripe contours around the woman’s eyes, which creates a progressive rhythm to the other stripes of red, cream, and robin's egg blue. The overall color palette is warm and subdued and looks like a book that would be found in a used bookshop.
The layout of the text mimicks the shapes of the dominant image of the woman's eyes. The text used to state the author's name, Haruki Murakami, is placed horizontally next to the horizontal image of the eyes. Even this font has a look of 1960s nostalgia with a whimsical feel. The trail of letters that create the title are placed diagonally in the shape of the contoured stripe around the woman’s eyes, or even in the shape of an eye.
The main image set the tone for the rest of the layout, including the layout of the text. Overall, the use of image and text is in a direct relationship, mimicking each other’s general shapes. The success of this cover design lies in its playful use of color and shapes.
Images borrowed:
http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166065765l/9833.jpg
Additional information on Chip Kidd's design for Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman:
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9907EFDF1F30F933A2575BC0A96E9C8B63
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