Penguin Book Cover: Previous Entries

In order to gain an understanding for what the judges look for within the Penguin competition I've looked at previous winners and what makes there designs successful.

2016 winners:
Adult Fiction, A Clockwork Orange
The winning over featured a simple typographic design (see figure 1) used to show the title of the book through converting slang from with book. This clever use of typography allowed for a simple and objective design to be created. The use of incorporating aspects of the book within the design was done successfully without referencing the obvious themes within the book like other covers. In comparison a shortlisted cover (see figure 2) features a busy complex design which references the key chaotic themes within the book in a less refine cover than the winning cover.

Adult Non-fiction, How to be a Woman
Personally I feel the 2nd place cover (see figure 3) was very intersting and clever through the use of a receipt to highlight the key issues discussed within the book. This development use typography in an inventive and unconventional way that that of the winning design (see figure 4). 2nd place has a more innovative and conceptual cover making it more attractive to an audience in my opinion.  

Childs Cover, Emil and the Detective
The children's covers tend to be less refined design wise and more illustrative in order to appeal ot a younger audience. The winning design incorporates an illustration from a scene within the book which is appropriate fro young children as this sparks the imagination getting the interested in the book. Although this cover is largely illustrative its refined in the sense of the composition with the illustration being the main focus with the avoidance of overcrowding when incorporating the necessary information.

Conclusion:
Adult cover: find simple typographic covers preferred, limited conceptual elements
Children's: illustrations favoured however need to be fined and composed well.

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In Cold Blood by Truman Capote - book covers

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Illustrative Cover (figures 1 and 2):

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Within this cover the representation of the farm, the scene of the murders is portrayed by placing the typography within a wooden sign. The overall atheistic of the cover further adds to the portrayal of the farm due to the printing style chosen representing the handmade approach associated with farming. Additionally the gritty and imperfect design conveys the tone of the book which portrays the brutal, cold murder of the Clutter family and the hunt for the killers. The cliche use of red within the cover represents the brutality of the murders however I feel this is a very obvious colour choice to depict violence therefore I will look further into colour theory to see what colours convey similar emotions for use within my design.  The contrast between black and red further adds to the dark mystery that surrounds the murders as the murderers Perry and Dick nearly get away due to there lack of personal connection to the family. Furthermore the use of irregular and bold typography within the cover and spine creates a main focal point and further enhances the handmade printed aesthetic of the cover  however I also feel this use of bold striking typography doesn't effectively represent the sophisticated nature of the book or crime as the perpetrators nearly get away but more focuses on the brutality of the murders which I feel is an obvious focal point for the cover. Therefor creating a more youthful cover for a book that is written in a fairly sophisticated way due to the interchanging story lines of the Clutters and the murderers.


Penguin Modern Classics Cover (figure 3 and 4):
Photographic cover featuring key scenes from within the book as well as the author Capote. This is a more subtle representation of the book as the scenes within the photographs become clear as you read the book but are also understandable at a glance to potential readers who may have a basic understanding of the book as they reference key themes/events. The black and white aesthetic of the cover relates closely to the time period of the book in 1959 before the widespread use of colour film. Additionally it subtly addresses the cold brutal killings within the book without being too obvious but also references the sophisticated nature the book is written in as black and white is often associated with class and sophistication. The simple use of typography allows for the photographic cover to be the main focus whist its relatively large size allows it to be visible to the reader but in a more inconspicuous way which can be seen to represent the murderers ability to avoid capture for a while and hide behind the many rumours that caused suspicion within the town of Holcomb during the investigation. The contrast in size and colour within the typography is also interesting as the main focus is the authors name as the underlying tone/theme of the book is his journey to discover the truth about the murders however this is never made obvious within the book as Capote is never appears in the book.

Original Cover (figure 5) :
The heavily typographic cover gives a limited insight into the book itself due to the quite sophisticated and grand use of typography. Consequently this subtly references the style in which the book is written as Capote keeps the reader guessing by never fully revealing the facts about the murders until the killers confess as well as the interchanging story lines of both the clutters and the killers. However the dark nature to the book is subtly referenced through the use of red within the typography which symbolises the bloodshed caused by the brutal murders as it symbolises violence. However the use of red also represents the suspicion created throughout the town as people start to suspect there neighbours. The cover is very dated to a modern audience as it was designed in the 1960s however the limited reference to the story line creates a more intriguing cover as it provides the reader with little information adding to the confusion within the book as the reader has to try and figure out what exactly happened to the Clutters. The close kerning within the typography could be seen to represent the tension within the book as a close community is tested due to suspicion and rumours as well as representing the chase to catch the killers. Consequently this cover is particularly successful due to the subtle references to the theme of the book, however feel the themes could be slightly more obvious in order to attract a modern audience as the original cover isn't very intriguing to the modern eye due to its dated styles.

Module Evaluation

Overall this module has allowed me to realise the important of research and development within a brief as a wide range of research can great some interesting and unexpected results as seen in studio brief 2 with the use of drawings created in word which formed the basis of the final designs. Consequently I will adapt this insight in the next module in order to gain a better understanding of briefs and there limitations as many of these limitations also lead to more interesting responses as seen within wayfinding due to the impractical nature of producing a physical wayfinding system which lead to the use of placards to form the basis of the system which could be used on a temporary basis. Additionally within this module I've experimented with new processor such as letterpress and laser cutting which has provided interesting outcomes and provided me with skills that I can apply to future briefs.

In relation to studio brief 1 I feel my wayfinding system works successfully to engage the audience due to the interactive nature of the system with the incorporation of a rating  system and use of staff members to hold the placards. If I has more time to develop the system further I would look at approaching member of each store to see if they would be willing to take part within the system and document this photographically. Additionally i would also look into the possibility of actually placing the lines within the system on the windows to create a more authentic visualisation of the system. Furthermore the use of handouts within the print festival itself further engages the audience with the system by providing information about each shop and informing them of the complete distance. In relation to studio brief 2 surrounding objects, the posters and handouts celebrating the anniversary of the light bulb have been successful due to the incorporation of light within the designs which creates a consistent aesthetic across both platforms. Furthermore the use of light within the handouts engages the audience within the exhibition as they can look through and shine light through the handout throughout the exhibition. this engagement is enhanced through the use of facts on the back. Despite these successes I'm disappointed with the inability to effectively capture light shining through the posters so the design is more visible. Consequently this has made it difficult to place the photos in settings such as within a gallery space to effectively show its use. However when the physical posters are raised towards the light the effect is visible but could be enhanced if the L's where slightly larger so more light could shine through. Additionally if I had more time to develop this project further I would experiment with using coloured light and its effect on both the posters and the handouts. Furthermore the handouts have worked well due to cutting out the drawing instead of embossing however the large amount of burn caused by using thinner paper than that used for the posters along with a wooden board to help align the drawings correctly slightly distracts the reader away from the fact on the back.  Overall I'm pleased with the outcomes I've created for both studio briefs however feel each could be further developed to create a more complete design/system. 

Placard developments

In order to effectively represent the wayfinding systems wooden placards (figure 1-3)have been used to create the signage which will feature the pictogram for the specific shop and the distance half way between the print festival and the shop as this where the placards will be located. MDMF has been used to provide a fairly cheap but stable base for the placards, the colour of which creates an appropriate contrast between the lines of the pictograms and the colours within the distance. Furthermore each placard will be held by a member of staff from each shop in order to create a more personal experience within the system and further engage the audience. In addition the back of the placards will feature the rating system using stickers that the audience can use (figure 4). Overall the placards work well along with the use of vinyl for the pictograms as they are relatively inexpensive to create apart from the use of vinyl which is necessary due to the temporary nature of the system itself. However upon reflection the line within the pictogram could be thicker in order to stand out more from a distance, however the use of colour helps solve this problem slightly.

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Final Evaluation - Objects

Overall the posters (figures 1-3) and handouts (figures 4-5) have been successful in celebrating the 138th anniversary of the light bulb through the use of 138 Ls within each drawing which effectively reference the exhibition celebrating this anniversary. These designs are highlighted by the use of A2 paper instead of A3 within the posters which provides a greater area of negative space allowing the design to stand out more effectively. Additionally the wide range of research into the light bulb through exploration using different materials and methods such as word and excel has aided the design processes to produce successful and unexpected responses. Furthermore the analysis of other peers work has also helped the design processes as I’ve effectively realised how to adapt this research into the designs as seen through the incorporation of facts within the handouts. Consequently this analysis in conjunction with feedback has also allowed for the realisation of an overall aesthetic within the posters particularly through the suggestion of cutting out the information as well as the design itself. In relation to the handouts these have worked successfully despite complications surround the initial idea to emboss the design as the resulting decision to redesign the handouts so the image would be cut out creates a more consistent aesthetic across both platforms tying both aspects together more effectively than if the design was embossed. However despite the strengths within these outcomes there is a large amount of burn on the back of the handouts which takes away from overall simple and clean cut aesthetic created within the posters and the front of the handouts. However this was unavoidable as the increased amount of burn was created at the result to using wood to help align the images with the text so the design didn't cut through the text on the back. Additionally photographing the posters themselves also presented problems trying to effectively shine light through the wholes whilst displaying the poster which could be corrected by making the L's within the drawings bigger so more light could be let through. Overall the poster and handouts are successful mainly due to the incorporation of light within the designs creating an engaging and interactive aspect for the audience. 

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Final Evaluation - Wayfinding

Overall the wayfinding system connecting Leeds Print Festival  to independent shops within Leeds is successful in addressing objectivity and subjectivity within graphic design. Subjectivity can be seen in the representation of distance with the pictograms through the use of varying the incline of the curve based on the distance the shop is from the print festival as well as in the limited use of typography and directional pictograms such as arrows within the system. Objectivity can be seen in the use of the distance within the pictograms as without this the distance and pictograms would be too difficult to interpret highlighting my option that graphic design should include both subjective and objective aspects in order to be successful. In addition the wayfinding system is successful due to its ability to engage the audience in many ways such as through the use of a rating system using stickers which adds to the personal experience created by using staff member to hold the placards replicating the unique and personal experiences within the stores featured within the system (see figure 1-4). In addition the use of placing the lines from within each pictogram within the shop windows allows the system to become full circle as the audience realise the shape of the pictograms on arrival (figure 4-7) Overall the aesthetic of the system works well through the use of the curved lines to represent the shops which links to the three straight lines used to represent the festival within the handout. The analysis of peers work as well as existing wayfinding systems has informed my own practice as it has allowed me to identify how I can link the system together more effectively by using the super graphics on the windows of the shops allowing the system to be realised once the user reaches their destination. However despite the successes of the system there is the potential for users to get lost due to limited use of direction and arrows which have purposefully been left out to create a more subjective system, however this may make it difficult for the audience to navigate from the festival to each placard. Upon reflection this could be replicated by including a map within the handout. In addition the line within the pictograms themselves could be mad thicker as they where thinner than expected when cut out of vinyl. The use of thicker lines would create a more visible pictogram from a far. Overall the system has worked successfully to address the issue of connecting Leeds Print Festival to independent shops and effectively engages the audience. 

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Laser Cutting

In order to produce the final designs the laser cutter was used to achieve a clean cut throughout the posters creating a professional and neat outcome (figure 1). In regards to the processes of using the laser it was relatively simple as the whole design was being cut out therefor each section of the poster has to be converted into outlines so the laser could interpret where to cut. The use of 300gsm card allowed for a solid poster which would become flimsy once the design was cut into. Additionally the use of such thick card reduced the amount of burn created on the designs from the laser , this small amount adds to the aesthetic of the poster which is based on glowing light as seen through the use of repeat patterns within the drawings. In relation to the hand outs using the laser cutter to emboss/engrave had limited successes as it was difficult to align the laser in the correct position so the text on the back wasn't lost (figure 2). Additionally the laser didn't create the desired effect as the laser burnt the paper to engrave meaning the design was visible and light wasn't required to view it causing an issue (figure 3). Consequently this lead to the development of rearranging the fact on the back to the top of the page and cutting out the drawing itself which allowed for a more consistent aesthetic across both the posters and handouts to be created (figure 4). However this created a large amount of burn the back (figure 5) which I feel disrupts the handouts and draws attention away from the fact itself, but this was unavoidable due to the use of wood to align the drawings so the writing wasn't cut off. 

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Lenka Clayton - Typewriter drawings

Lenka Clayton is a British conceptual artist who along with Michael Crowe produce a drawing each day for everyday of November of something they've seen that day using a  portable 1957 Smith-Corona Skyriter typewriter (figure 1 and 2). The use of individual letterforms to create images allows for the creation of uniques and simple drawings (see figure 1) due to the restrictions of the typewriter meaning more complex drawing are difficult to achieve due to the mechanics of the typewriter. Consequently this leads to many of Lenkas drawings being quite structured and geometric due ti the way paper is placed and used within the typewriter. Additionally the use of letterforms themselves create further restrictions due to the inability to manipulate aspect of the letterforms within a typewrite which further adds to the geometric and simple aesthetic of the drawings. Consequently these drawings have inspired the development of drawings from study task 2 (figure 3) as similar restrictions where placed when using word to draw images related to the light bulb. Therefor creating interesting and geometric drawings similar to those of Lenka Clayton. Furthermore Clayton's work has inspired the use of mono-printing and letterpress to also create ink based prints in order to see how the developed drawings  from study task 2 work in a printed format. 

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Chosen pictograms

Figure 1 and 2 show the final pictograms that will feature within a wayfinding system which will connect Leeds Print Festival with individual shops in Leeds. Figure 2 shows the pictograms with the distance from half way between the print festival and shop, theses will be featured on the placards to indicate the audience that there going in the right direction. The full distance pictograms in figure 1 will be printed on the handout along with a short description of each shop in order to encourage people to travel to the different shops. The use of a change in the incline of the curve references subjectivity in graphic design as support by Jan van Toorn's belief that the 'viewer to arrive at a view of his own'. However the use of distance creates an additional objective nature to the system as it tells people the exact distance. Overall the pictograms allows to a system which is conceptually subjective due to the abstract use of line and lack of directional arrows however is visual objective due to the incorporation of distance therefor backing my belief that graphic design should be both objective and subjective. 

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Design developments

In order to respond to feedback given during the initial crit I've developed my initial drawings by including 138 Ls within each drawing in order to better represent the anniversary of the light bulb (see figure 1). This has lead to some drawings becoming more simplified which in some cases has created a less interesting design (see figure 2-oil lamp). The use of including 138 Ls has limited the number of times the design is repeated within the drawings, which represents the glow created when a bulb is lit specifically the glow within the filament as the chemical reaction that allows the bulb to light up takes place. Consequently I've created some designs again to create a simplified drawing which creates a more interesting design when overlapped to better reflect the light bulb whilst still including only 138 Ls (see figures 3 and 4 oil lamp and wires). In addition I've developed nine drawings based on three categories, the components of the light bulb (see figures 1, 4 and 5), the evolution of the light bulb (see figures 3,6 and 7) and different styles of modern bulbs (see figures 8-10), one of each will feature on the posters promoting the exhibition and the rest on the handouts which will be given out throughout the exhibition itself. Overall I feel these designs are successful due to use of 138 Ls to reference the anniversary of the light bulb and bring context to the posters as well as simplifying the designs themselves so there is less overlapping of the Ls allowing each L to have its own space without appearing cramped within the drawings.

Figure 1- bulb casing 

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Figure 3- oil lmap

Figure 4- wires

Figure 6- arc lamp

Figure 5- Filament

Figure 7- modern bulb

Figure 8- fitted ceiling light

Figure 9 - candle bulb

Figure 10- classic bulb

Handout developments

In order to further respond to feedback given during the crit I've experimented with producing A5 handouts that will be given out throughout the exhibition. I've decided to incorporate light within the designs itself and engage the audience the designs will be embossed on the front of the handouts so light is need to see the complete image. The tactical nature of embossing also creates an interesting texture when touched to further engaging the audience. Initially the typography was placed in the top section of the handouts (see figure 1) so the fact wouldn't the typography wouldn't be effected by the embossing process, however after receiving feedback many felt the typography needed to be bigger and centred so that it would be distorted by the embossing processes as it would create adding to the tactile nature of the handout (see figure 2). The layout of the design with Arc located in the bottom left corner is used to show consistency across the poster and handouts by keeping the logo in the same location in order to covey the information needed in a simple and subtle manner. In addition the use of Helvetica for the typography within the handouts references the Ls within the drawings which are also Helvetica to create a consistent aesthetic across the posters and handouts. The simple and structured nature of helvetica works well within these designs as it allow the fact to be conveyed easily allowing for the embossed design on the front to attract the most attention from the audience.

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Layout Experimentations

In order to develop the use of my drawings further I've experimented with the layout of the poster using a range of typography experimentations in order to form a better understand of which is most appropriate. Consequently realising the poster needs to be on a larger scale than A3 (see figure 1) as the drawings seem to compact/close to the edge and would be more effective with more negative space surrounding them, leading to the development of the poster to A2 (see figure 2). In addition experimentations that feature larger black typography are least successful as the typography distracts from the drawing which is the main focus of the posters (see figures 1 and 4). This leads to the use of grey within some experimentations as the typography becomes more subtle and discrete, which is most successful when placed in the bottom half of the poster particularly the bottom middle and bottom left (see figures 2 and 3). I plan to gain feedback on which layout is most successful as well as the use of typography in order to finalise the design. Overall I feel the use of more negative space around the drawings works successfully as once cut out the light will have a greater impact as it will be focused to the middle of the page instead of spread over the majority of the page which is the case using A3.

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