Brief - Book Jacket

Preamble

In this project you will be designing the covers for a book. You will be expected to complete this work in one session, lasting a college day.

You should undertake a complete design process from analysis of the brief, research, ideas generation and development and realisation. However, you will not need to present a large sketchbook. BUT you will be asked to submit your “workings out” in term of research, ideas development and design decision justification, along with final pieces. These need to be mounted during the final session of the day.

You will be told the name of the book on the morning of each session.

The Brief

Design a cover for a Penguin-type paperback book.

This should include front cover, spine and back cover.

You will be given the wording and blurbs and any other details, on the day of each session.

These will be standard Penguin paperback size so that you may provide yourself with old paperbacks in order to make mock ups of the books at the end of the session. So you will need to take measurements of your mock-up book and make a cover to fit. You are advised to run a test print to check that the format is correct before you begin to design.

You may use your own or found imagery, BUT remember that this is a typographic module and your grades will mainly be dependent on the ways in which you demonstrate your knowledge and application of type. Grades will focus on how and why you have applied typography.

You should evidence research into (non-fiction) book jackets in general, examining application of type and imagery, including presentation of blurbs. This may be worked on before the practical book jacket days.