You've probably heard the saying, "Never judge a book by its cover." When it comes to people, this is mostly true. Just because a person looks a certain way doesn't mean you know who they are inside. But when it comes to books, this old saying isn't as useful. You can and should judge books by their covers, and the publishing industry spends millions of dollars a year to make sure you do. The cover of a book can help sell the story, or at least be interesting enough for the reader to pick up and take a look at. It may put the book on the short list of future reading material. An ugly or badly-designed book cover tends to sit on the shelf and not be opened.
One look at the aisles of a library will show you how many different kinds of books there are. Not only can books, be fiction or non-fiction, but they can be reference books, children's books, mysteries, horror novels, art books, comic books, romances, classics... the list goes on and on. Each of these genres and types has their own personalities, and their own artistic demands and expectations. As a graphic designer, your job is to speak to these established conventions, while pushing the limits and creating new and exciting takes of classic ideas.
In this lesson, you'll design several different book covers for various kinds of texts. You'll be graded on your ability to create original designs that are true to the content and tone of the book while also bringing new and inventive ideas to the table. You will complete three projects for this lesson: one children's book, one non-fiction book, and one redesign of a book of your choice.
