I am going to make this one of the areas I look into in more detail, as I think if I can highlight the scope of designs within this one category, it may help me to understand ways to be more creative and push the boundaries within design as a whole.
The above example is the cover for ‘RANT: An oral biography of Buster Casey’ written by Chuck Palahniuk. The most striking thing about this design, is that neither this title nor the Author’s name features anywhere on the cover. In fact when you initially look at it the only indicating a title is the ‘R’ which is cut through window to the title which is placed on the layer beneath.
The graphics are undeniably abstract, however as you look closer it could represent any number of things. My initial thoughts were this was designed to indicate a curious yet confused scene which is constantly changing. However looking it again it could also be symbolic of a human heart, which has mutated into an abnormal form and is aggressively taking over the page.
The book follows the fictional life of someone who ‘may or may not be the most efficient serial killer of our time’. Having read this book’s synopsis I can see exactly why the artist has created such a curious image,
I really admire Rodrigo Corral and Jacob Magraw who have designed this cover. Although you are not certain what it may indicate about the plotline, the omission of the title and Author’s name would probably make people curious enough to read the book’s abstract. Having done this you somehow look at the cover in a different light.
Overall I actually like this cover, I don’t think it is in any way flawless and having done some research I have discovered that many books have used the not title technique in the past. But regardless of this I think that the design is eye-catching enough to get people to want to know more about the contents. Therefore in this way it would be a successful design.
6 comments:
You have raised a really interesting point here and after reading your post, I was looking through some bookstalls in London and was reminded of it. It struck me as I was looking through row upon row of books, most of the titles I had never heard of, I was picking up books with interesting front covers, something that stood out from the generic book cover - interesting type, an illustration, appealing colour palette etc - it made me realise how much the book jacket functions as a marketing tool for the novel/information it contains. I don't know whether I do it more because I am aware of the design or more aesthetically pleasing things tend to stand out to me more, but I know that I always pick up the books that 'look nice' first.
People say dont judge a book by it's front cover but you do. In a book shop, you pick up what visually appeals or intrigues you. Books are a lucrative market and although digitial media and the Internet is increasing it's presence in our everyday lives, people still buy books. Is it an area where design could play a much more influential role? Definately an interesting area for research.
You're blog is interesting because book covers aren't a widely spoken about area of design.
I like the idea behind the pic you have posted... it is abstract... different... intriguing... it does look like a heart to me, but does it not make you think of a medical book rather than a novel?
The design isn't typical of a novel but maybe this is the way forward. I'm not sure about this.
You do judge a book by it's cover but if I picked this up... I don't know whether I would want to buy it! I might think it was boring. It would be good to see more aesthetically pleasing designs on novels, and to see that more thought has been put into their designs.
I have to agree that this is a great cover. The only reason I stopped and picked up this book in the store was because of the eye catching cover. Once I realized it was a Chuck Palahniuk novel, I was sold.
The cover itself is quite abstract, I see bits of a heart as you described. I also see a distorted mask (when viewed with the binding on top). It's a cover that makes you think, much like the contents of the novel inside!
Long comment. Sorry. Info on cover 1st paragraph :)
As someone who has read the book, I LOVE the cover. Apparently it is a cows heart. In the book, the main character is called Rant for having put real animal organs in mystery boxes in a haunted house. The boxes usualy filled with things like cold macaroni for brains ect. He is nicknamed Rant as that was the noise made when the childeren threw up...hahaha.
This book is AMAZING! The third Palahniuk book I have read and I am now a BIG fan.
SLIGHT SPOILERS!!!
No one else could link rabies, the tooth fairy, hillbillies, virtual reality and time travel so seamlessly.
END OF SPOILERS!!!!
The blurb on the back doesn't give it enough credit. This book IS NOT ABOUT A SERIAL KILLER. It is however about a superspreader. (In this case, a plague of rabies)
The others I have read are "Survivor" and "Fight Club". Survivor also has a great cover. It is BRIGHT orange and has markings to show how to make a paper aeroplane out of the tear off cover (Although I didn't tear off the cover as I treasure this book). This fits with the story as it is about the last surviving member of a cult telling his life story into an empty aeroplane's bright orange recorder as the plane slowly crashes into the Australian outback. It's very eyecatching.
If you have not read Rant, please do! I read the first bit and was a bit bored but once I sat down and paid attention it was brilliant! Just finished reading it. Now I'm reading it again right after to understand it better as it is a little confusing :)
Kaya
The design really isn't that abstract. It is a picture of a vertebra in a human spinal column, with skin, muscle tissue, and veins. If you had read the book instead of just the summary, it would have made a little more sense.
I'm pretty sure it's a voicebox. The spinal parts are visible, as is the thyroid cartilage -- the big thing that covers the epiglottis, pharynx and larynx -- aka, the "Adam's Apple."
The literary style is "vocal history." As a work of literature, it is focused on the voices of the characters telling the story.
It's a beautiful piece of work, isn't it?
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