Brill Publishers
Book Cover Design
For over three centuries, Brill Publishers has contributed to academic and scholarly research in religious studies and the humanities. I created a number of original book jacket designs for the company, some for recurring journals, and others as one-off publications. In every instance, the challenge was to reflect the unique subject matter, while keeping with Brill’s pared-down, simple sensibility.
For the Journal of Chinese Overseas, I used a transparent calligraphic brushstroke circle. The symbol references the Enso, a sacred symbol in Zen Buddhism with extensive meaning, including “oneness” and “unity.” In Western cultures, the circle also represents motion and the passage of time. With the multiple meanings, the symbol seemed apt for a journal studying the Chinese diaspora, and how the community retained its culture and grounding across distance and time.
The Karaites of Galicia were a ethnoreligious minority in eastern Ukraine (formerly Galicia). The community of Turkic-speaking Jews has resided in Galicia since the late Middle Ages, and developed a unique culture and religious practices. To ornament a journal documenting this unique community, I researched Karaic architectural and design motifs, and created a scroll pattern based on wrought iron work typical for the culture.
For the Journal of Egyptian History, I divided the book jacket into a red upper panel and white lower panel, playing off the two kingdoms of Egypt. Ancient Egypt was separated into a northern Lower Kingdom, represented by a red crown, and a southern Upper Kingdom, represented by a white crown. Both kingdoms were bisected by the Nile River, which flowed from the Upper Kingdom to the Lower Kingdom and the Mediterranean Sea. The symbolism inherent in the cover design is recognizable to the Journal’s audience, academics working in Egypotology.
For the two-volume set of the Encyclopedia of Hebrew Language and Linguistics, Brill provided me with a number of historic images they wanted incorporated into the cover art. I created a montage of the images to lead the viewer chronologically, from ancient stone engravings, to medieval calligraphy, to handwritten text from the 1900s and a 2oth century newspaper.
The Chinese Nonprofit Review required a cover design that featured traditional imagery without appearing dated. We were also asked to incorporate a globe image that featured China predominantly superimposed on the Western Hemisphere. I found an image of a traditional pattern, often used in either relief carving or in lacquered design. To keep the cover fresh, I chose a pale green as the background color, washing out to the pattern at the edges.
Brill provided me with an image of a contemporary Chinese painting to use as a background image for Global Chinese Literature. I chose to lay out the text superimposed against the attractive image, with the back cover text anchored in an orange box for legibility.
