OUGD503: Penguin

What makes a good book cover? What should it include?

http://www.hbook.com/2014/03/choosing-books/horn-book-magazine/makes-good-book-cover/#_

Responsibility to the book- this means that it must stay true to the book even through the artist's interpretation it must show the narrative in some way.

"A book cover’s paramount job is to communicate the book’s content and convey information concerning both what the book is about and what the book is like. The front and back flaps have something to say, and experienced readers may find clues in a summary statement or author’s note. But the text and graphics on the cover deliver the most immediate and indelible impression. A cover’s imagery can establish character, setting, and plot. A cover’s style can suggest tone, mood, and narrative quality. And extraordinary covers employ both elements in synergy."

"Responsibility to the publisher

While a book cover’s primary relationship is with the book it introduces, it also exists in relationship to all of the other covers on the shelf. Thousands of titles for young people are published every year, each competing for the attention of booksellers, librarians, and readers. The cover has a critical role to play in giving a book a unique identity. Also, it has to sell the book!"

http://www.wired.com/2014/09/makes-brilliant-book-cover-master-explains/#x

 “finding that unique textual detail that…can support the metaphoric weight of the entire book.” 

"That, of course, requires actually reading a manuscript closely enough to A) determine the metaphoric weight of the book and B) find a handful of relevant details within it. In other words, making a great book cover isn’t just about making. It starts with understanding."

“It’s very tempting to read a book only for visual cues when you’re a jacket designer,”

‘Oh, her hair is blond, and it’s a cold climate, and they live on a hill.’ That’s just really treacherous. Because if you read that way, you’ll miss the point of the book. And almost never are those kind of details the point of the book.”

Ideally, every dust jacket is unique to the book it’s wrapped around. But the realities of the marketplace often dictate how experimental a design can be. 

Therefore to start this brief I need to begin with reading the book and picking up on points I may want to portray through the cover. I don't think you can start thinking of ideas based from nothing so I am going to go through and write out the concepts which I think are relevant and perhaps ideas for visuals and sketches.