Book Cover Redesign
"The Last Man" by Mary Shelley
This is a redesign of the book jacket for 'The Last Man' by Mary Shelley. I wanted to create a contemporary update of a book from the 1800s in order to attract a younger audience. An overall theme of the book is survival and by using dark colors, textures and photography I was able to create an abstraction of that underlying message while implying age and deterioration. The use of diagonal lines creates tension in both the imagery and the type.
2008
Final Layout
For the cover I took a photograph of some action figures under a very heavy, shadow casting, light. I used diagonals throughout the design to convey tension. The title, by-line and subtitle were also placed on the same diagonal. For the spine and back cover I overlaid images of texture and deterioration to parallel the age of the story. I wanted the book to stand out when it was placed on a shelf so I made sure the title was highly readable and bold.
Concept Drawings
My concepts reflect the apocalyptic nature of the book. Showing a sense of loneliness and abandonment, using stark contrast and striking visuals to convey the underlying theme of the book.
Compass Rose Publishing - Logo
Part of designing the book cover included creating a fictional publishing company with a logo. I adapted the idea within 'The Last Man' of someone traversing the unknown needing a compass. Thus, I took a traditional compass layout and melded it with an abstract rose flower. The above image is a size compilation of the logo that has been recently updated to appear more dimensional while maintaining the sole use of line art.