Monday 7 March 2016

OUGD603 Extended Practice Brief 05 Penguin Book Cover Brief and First Thoughts

Taking he brief from the website, I have re-written it for my own purposes.

The reason I chose the non-fiction option:
This book is frankly one of my all time favourites. It is not only hugely entertaining, honest and refreshing but also enlightening in terms of modern feminism. It approaches feminism from a personal perspective and is a book I am constantly lending out to friends. Getting a chance to design something around this narrative is really exciting. That is why I wanted to design the cover for How to Be a Woman.


How to be a Woman by Caitlin Moran

It's a good time to be a woman: we have the vote and the Pill, and we haven't been burnt as witches since 1727. However, a few nagging questions do remain. . . 
Why are we supposed to get Brazilians? Should we use Botox? Do men secretly hate us? And why does everyone ask you when you're going to have a baby?
Part memoir, part rant, Caitlin answers the questions that every modern woman is asking.
‘This might just be the funniest intelligent book ever written’ Stylist
‘Moran's writing sparkles with wit and warmth. Like the confidences of your smartest friend’ Simon Pegg
‘It would almost be unkind to call this an important book, because what it mostly is is engaging, brave and consistently, cleverly, naughtily funny, but actually it is important that we talk about this stuff’ Katy Guest Independent on Sunday

The Brief

We would like you to design a new, classic cover for Caitlin Moran's book, How to Be a Woman.
The design needs to feel timeless and classic, whilst at the same time making it clear to the reader that it is very entertaining and often very funny. The book should feel very accessible, immediately ‘pickupable’ and something that exists within the world of Popular Culture. You are welcome to use an image of the author, but do not feel that you need to take that approach.
The ideal design will make us smile, make us want to own a copy of the book, and keep it proudly on our shelves for a long time.

What the judges are looking for:

We are looking for a striking cover design that is well executed, has an imaginative concept and clearly places the book for its market. While all elements of the jacket need to work together as a cohesive whole, remember that the front cover must be effective on its own and be eye-catching within a crowded bookshop setting. It also needs to be able to work on screen for digital retailers such as Amazon.
Your cover design needs to include all the cover copy as supplied and be designed to the specified design template (B format, 198mm high x 126mm wide, spine width 20mm).

The winning design will need to:

  • have an imaginative concept and original interpretation of the brief
  • be competently executed with strong use of typography
  • appeal to a contemporary readership
  • show a good understanding of the marketplace
  • have a point of difference from the many other book covers it is competing against
  • be able to sit on the shelves of a supermarket or ebook store as easily as it sits on those of more traditional bookshops.

Own brief:

Create a book cover design for 'How to Be a Woman' by Caitlyn Moran to the specifications of the penguin book cover competition, for submission. The book will be re published as part of the classics range and needs a new cover to match its new position in literary history.

Background Considerations:
- As a classic cover, the cover should make a nod to the history of classics that have come before it.
- Although it is a feminist manifesto, it is about Caitlyn Moran's own personal feminism and constructing your own set of ideas and beliefs on the subject.
- Consider the evolution of the audience as the book becomes a classic.
- Think about design decisions in term of creating a striking and assertive visual for the cover that allows destination on a busy bookshop shelf.

Deliverables:
-Printed Book cover design and suitable contextualising photographs.
-Record of development on design practice blog.

Research Areas:
- Penguin Classics Range
- The book its self
- The context of book shops
- The author

No comments:

Post a Comment