Award-winning designer Pinaki De lists 10 book covers for their design, and ability to illustrate the contents in a nutshell
In the age of Kindle and e-readers, books exist in our lives primarily as an artefact. The sensation of touch and smell that accompanies the visual trigger intensifies a part of the memory associated with a particular book. Trying to awaken those sensations from deep slumber, freelance designer Pinaki De, the winner of this year's Oxford Bookstore Prize for the Best Cover Design in India, puts together a list of 10 books whose covers encapsulate his idea of a good 'book cover'.
The Kamasutra
Design by Malika Favre
The Kamasutra is always a difficult cover to do. French artist Malika Favre's rendition of contorted bodies in negative space is one of the most poetic that I have seen. You can see Malika's stellar work at
www.malikafavre.com
The Communist Manifesto
Design by Patrice Killoffer
One of the greatest comics' artists of all time, Killoffer gives a radical makeover to the classic in his own inimitable style. If you can get a copy of his comics, 676 Apparitions of Killoffer, I bet you will never forget him. His fearless and radical makeover shows the kind of strong statement a cover can make.
Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and his Years of Pilgrimage
Design by Chip Kidd
It is said that in cover design there is only one legend – Charles (Chip) Kidd. He revolutionised cover design mostly by intelligent use of comics' art, jacket perforations and packaging. His work can be seen at www.chipkidd.com. When he doesn't do covers, he thinks about Batman. In fact, Kidd once stated that the first cover he ever noticed was "no doubt for some sort of Batman comic I saw…the colors, the forms, the design. Batman himself is such a brilliant design solution." This particular cover comes from the narrative of the book itself. Can you decipher a hand in the cover visual? Look at the die cuts representing five fingers and the circular subtitle forming the palm of a hand.
Loneliness
Design by Peter Mendelsund
Minimalist to the core, the cover is a Mendelsund classic. The dot of 'i' is literally and metaphorically 'lonely'. Besides being an ace designer, Peter Mendelsund is the author of two books – Cover, a monograph of his design work and What We See When We Read, an investigation of what happens in the mind's eye when we're engrossed in a book. For his other works, check
covers.petermendelsund.com
Man-eaters of Kumaon
Design by Satyajit Ray
S atyajit Ray was also one of India's best cover designers. He studied fine arts at Santiniketan before starting out as a junior visualizer at the British advertising firm, DJ Keymer. He also was an illustrator for Signet Press, where he produced phenomenal book cover designs for 13 years before he took up filmmaking. I like the cover spread for the balance it achieves without compromising on the symbolic overtone.
Fahrenheit 451
Design by Elizabeth Perez
The most intriguing cover of cult classic Fahrenheit 451, a novel about a dystopian future where books are outlawed and firemen burn any house that contains them, has never been printed. Elizabeth Perez did it as a creative concept and it became an internet buzz once she posted it. However, that doesn't diminish the profundity of the cover whose spine imitates a matchbox and the title contains a matchstick.
The Brief History of the Dead
Design by Archie Ferguson
The cover uses a black and white photograph in a clever visual pun on the title. The disembodied hands on both sides and the placement of the title, makes this a stunning work of art.
The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction
Design by David Pearson
A giant in book cover design, David Pearson is known for his thought-provoking covers. You can see some of them at www.typeasimage.com. The cover that I have chosen is truly stunning as it arranges the spines together to compose the front thus taking Walter Benjamin's discourse literally and metaphorically.
The Last Jet-Engine Laugh
Design by Itu Chaudhurai
When I saw this cover, I didn't like it at all. However, as I immersed myself in the book, I could make out the intricate detailing in this irreverent take on the narrative. It is rare nowadays to see a cover reflecting the content of the book so meticulously. We have prettier covers and better production values but are they always related to what is there inside?
The Book of Gold Leaves
Mirza Waheed grew up in Srinagar and his great-grandfather was a papier-mâché artist. The book's warm gold cover, with its flowers and leaves, was painted by his great-grandfather many years ago and it proclaims the beauty of the past. I personally like the Indian edition more than the UK edition as it plays on the patterns more subtly while the black circle adds a centre of attention throwing the title into sharp relief.
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