2019 | Year 3 | Semester 1
Fiction novel: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Smiley’s People
The brief was to design a fresh new contemporary look of two books that have already been published. The book covers must also appear related as part of a series, but unique to each other. I have chosen John le Carré’s fiction books to design with. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and Smiley’s People, concentrate on two different espionage traits: betrayal and manipulation. Unlike the traditional gun battle stories, these series require readers’ engagement and intelligence to put all the pieces of a puzzle together.
Inspired by this, I deliberately spread details such a pair of shoe that has been taken off, a cigarette lighter, train track, and a bridge connecting East and West Berlin all over the cover and the spine as to indicate the ending of the stories. My design used silhouette and black line which are inspired by book covers’ design from the 60s and 70s that emphasise the idea of ‘let the images do the talking’. When the book is lying face down, readers can see that the elements of space and perspective are used. After comparison, the black line illustration is much stronger and distinctive than the solid colour one because of its neatness and cleanness.
As most scenario end with a wait, white, as one of the colours representing a static state, is used to give readers peace of mind. Also, considering that most of the fiction novels are designed in red or black, using white colour can help my design to be distinctive in the bookshelf among other novels. Also, the condensed and modern san serif typeface used in the title in red colour did not merely provide a big contrast with the white background, it also suggests the intenseness may have in the stories.
The rough paper is used to suggest the timeframe of the books that were produced in 1974 and 1982. With a distinctive and textured paper, it can enhance the reading experience.
Book Dimension: B Format (129 mm × 198 mm)
