Book Covers
Some of these book covers were included in my Graphic Design Capstone project, others were included in the project but have since been reworked and changed in various ways. To see the Capstone project in its entirety, click here.
Stardust by Neil Gaiman
Stardust is a fantasy novel that contains all the magical whimsy of the fairy tales I grew up reading. One piece of imagery central to the story is a silver chain and I wanted to incorporate it into the cover. The edition of the book I have has a very simple, yet artistic cover which I appreciated. However, I wanted to add more of the story's fantasy elements to my cover. I also tried to give the back cover a more interesting layout that wasn't just lines of text.
Frankenstein by mary shelly
Frankenstein was a story I loved reading. For my book cover, I wanted to highlight the relationship between Victor Frankenstein and his creation. Lightning, while not all that important in the original text, has become heavily associated with the act of bringing the monster to life and it made for an interesting element to the front and back cover. For the main typography of the cover, I drew some letters inspired by both Gothic typefaces and Tim Burton's artwork.
Alice in Wonderland
by Lewis Carroll
For my cover of Alice in Wonderland, I wanted to highlight the difference between the plainness of the real world and the wonder of Wonderland. I had a fun time drawing the White Rabbit and the Cheshire Cat to include on the cover. I chose to add red, orange, yellow, and black for the front color to invoke the colors of the Queen of Hearts.
The Terror by Dan Simmons
The Terror features a crew of Arctic explorers who are slowly picked off and hunted by a polar bear-esque monster. It is an immensely tense and often brutal story. The cover of the edition I own features a moment from the TV show based on this story, which is fine. However, I think a plain white background with the black features of a polar bear is much more evocative of what the characters in the story are dealing with. I have the monster looming over the characters, reminiscent of the ever-present danger it represents in the novel. It creates a tension that is matched by the writing.
Dracula by Bram Stoker
I was pleasantly surprised when I read Dracula, by Bram Stoker. The story was full of memorable characters and contained plenty of tense moments and a few that were exceptionally heartfelt as well. I wanted my cover to give the reader an impression of Castle Dracula, which is where the story begins as Jonathan Harker visits the Count in his home. I included classic vampire tropes in the design, such as fangs extending both from the title and from the elegant border.
"Desertion" by Clifford D. Simak
"Desertion" is a science fiction short story about a group tasked with colonizing Jupiter. However, to live on such an inhospitable planet, the group must convert their human forms into something that can withstand the alien environment. But no one sent out to explore the planet has ever come back. There are slight themes of transcendentalism in the story, and I tried to replicate that within the typography and imagery of my cover. The letters that make up the title fade away and disappear, much like the people who give up their human lives to become one with nature on Jupiter.
"Beauty and the Beast" by Gabrielle-Suzanne de Villeneuve
"Beauty and the Beast" is a story everyone knows to some extent, even if they are unfamiliar with the original tale. For this cover, I wanted to add intricate flourishes reminiscent of old medieval page decorations. These came in the form of roses, with interconnecting vines weaving throughout them. Thorns and leaves are also mixed in here and there. Ultimately, I wanted something that looked elegant and beautiful, fitting for a classic story such as this.