CAN YOU JUDGE A BOOK BY IT'S COVER?

The glory days of book cover design is dead. Kindle stole it. Just like the way that the iPod stole the dust-sleeves on vinyl records and CDs that served as tangible, tactile works of art. Now the stakes are higher, the market fiercer and the reader just a little less bookish. One of the things we loved about books was how an awesome cover design could complement and enrich the whole reading experience and the way we connect to the story. 

Penguin publishing caused a stir recently with the launch of it's celebratory 50th anniversary book cover for the children's classic novel Charlie and the Chocolate factory. 

The initial view from 84 was...

'Yikes!'

'I don't get it at all?!! Is it another story that I missed??!!'

The cover did get the world at large thinking again about cover design though. It is certainly memorable, perhaps not in a good way, but it is attention grabbing, and you could say that's one sign of design success.

Another view from 84 -

'Roald Dahl always went with Quentin Blake drawings, like toast and jam or tea and biscuits. The lack of his drawings on the new cover is the main protagonist.'

Perhaps that's why the new book cover is, in the words of Miss Trunchbull, a "witless weed!" and totally off-brand. 

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We take a look at some other examples of the books that we have owned and the cover designs that left a lasting impression for us here at 84. 

'The messy looseness and eclectic energy of the typographic illustration perfectly captured the youthful naivety of Jonathan Safran Foer's brilliant debut novel. The hand drawn lettering both reflects and contradicts the seriousness of the title, whilst it's scale and single colour treatment grabs your attention.'

'Mine is "A Chance of Sunshine" by Taiwan's best-known author-illustrator Jimmy Liao.It's a story about 2 lonely individuals who never had a chance to meet even though they lived next to one another….Until one fine day.
I love the story so much that I bought the soundtrack too. What is special about Jimmy's story is he carefully selected a musical piece/song for every scene in his story that brings you into the tone and mood. One of my most played Cds in my collection. The story was made into a film to.'

'The cover for Murakami's Norwegian Wood is design perfection. Simple, very Japanese and bleak…Just like the story! There's a hidden visual message in it that I discovered after a few days of reading and studying the cover multiple times. When I noticed it, the cover design elevated the story to a different level.'