The Brief - Redesign a series of existing book jackets
Assignment Description:
Design book covers for at least three titles from one of the categories listed. Although you are asked to design 3+ covers only, you are advised to produce a basic format flexible enough to accommodate any title in the current list, or any future titles, giving the series a strong and unique visual identity. Selection should be based on the potential and possibilities within the overall theme of the series, not just on individual titles.
Specification: Use the existing formats as a basis for your designs.
I chose to do ‘pastimes/hobbies’ because I felt that this category for me had the most potential, and I was also very interested in the hobbies featured in the books I had picked to revamp. I came across Doug Werner’s books while searching through Goodreads and Amazon, and noticed straight away that these books definitely needed more up to date covers. As a child I was part of the girl guides association, and also later on I went to Scouts and did a lot of camping and outdoor activities; so the first thing that came to mind when coming up with ideas was patches! I loved collecting patches and putting them on my brownie sash, or even a fleecy blanket. To the right is a mood-board showing the feel I wanted for the book jackets.
Books by Doug Werner, a series of how-to books focusing on outdoorsy sports.
I did a lot of doodles for this project and really like the rawness of them so used a few to make a few cover ideas. Although happy with the aesthetic of the covers below, they just didn’t have that outdoorsy vibe I had in my mind.
So I went back to my moodboard and focused on getting some patches into my designs. I used the same doodles from before, but incorporated them into patch designs using basic shapes.
