In the UK there are approximately 150,000 people employed within the publishing industry and it has a number of different areas which you can work in, such as book publishing, computer game publishing, journals, zines, magazine or newspaper publishing, and even software publishing. Different stages of the publishing process include creation and design, distribution and retail, and production.
The book publishing industry in particular is popular for graphic designers and illustrators alike as the art of book covers is often what gets the book itself noticed, not only making it incredibly important to the author but also giving a great window of opportunity for you to have your work noticed by the general public.
Designing a book cover is no east task, however, as it requires a number of different things. Firstly, you would have to commit to a very close reading of the book itself. This allows you to understand what you're designing, and in acknowledging the smaller details of the product gives easier inspiration for obscurities you could relate your design to. Collaboration with the author is also essential, after all it's their work and they're going to have their own ideas regarding what the cover could allude to, so you always have to be open to what they have in mind. Testing out different medias and development of ideas is also something which is very important when designing a book cover, it needs to be interesting enough to capture the attention of the public, and sometimes that requires stepping out of your comfort zone and trying out new things.
One particular book publishing industry is Bloomsbury. They are a "leading independent publishing house established in 1986" and they companies based around the globe, including: London, New York, Sydney and Delhi. The four divisions of this publishing company are Academic and Professional, Information, Adult Publishing, and Children's Publishing. Chris Priestley is an author who works within this publishing company and I own several of his novels, one being The Dead of Winter.
The cover was designed by Priestley himself as he is also an artist, and the overall design is very prominent. Through use of cold tones we have a simple but effective representation of winter, and the striking image of the skull makes for a startling design. Both of these aspects relate heavily to the title and also suggest events which later take place in the novel.
One distinct detail on this cover is the textured shimmer which disperses out and around from the skull, giving the effect of frost and helping to further enhance the design as it not only captures the light, but the attention of potential readers too.
Sources used:
Websites:
No comments:
Post a Comment