Judging a Book by its Cover

Academic Work • October 2023 • Individual

Room is a story aimed at young adults and explores themes such as family, motherhood, fear and love. These themes are conveyed through the symbolic use of a room's corner, representing the sense of confinement and the inability to escape, all enhanced by the use of rhetorical tropes.

The goal of this project was to re-design an existing book cover, making it more symbolic and meaningful. In the beginning, I decided to pick three books and explore different ideas for each. I chose Room and decided to use the formstorming framework, to develop a refined concept for the book. The main tropes I focused on are hyperbole and allusion. I utilized hyperbole by exaggerating the book title and stretching the letters to emphasize its significance. For allusion, I used the four corners of the room to subtly suggest the idea of eventually escaping beyond it's boundaries.

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Redesigned Book Cover

Synopsis

"Room" by Emma Donoghue is a novel published in 2010. The story is narrated from the perspective of a five year old boy named Jack. Jack and his mother are confined in a small room by a man referred to as "Old Nick." The narrative is inspired by the real life case of Elisabeth Fritzl, who was held captive by her father for over 24 years.

The story primarily explores the theme of confinement, which, to Jack, represents his entire world. His mother does her best to make the room feel like a normal environment, leading Jack to believe that the "outside" world exists only on television.

As Jack grows older and realizes their situation is far from ordinary, his mother makes a plan for their escape. Later in the novel, Jack expresses his experiences of encountering the outside world for the first time. Both him and his mother struggle to adapt to reality, dealing with intense media attention and the psychological scars left by the traumatic events that occured in thier life.

Book Selection Process

Concept Refinement for Two of the Three Books

First Choice

The refined concept for this book focuses on two rhetorical tropes: metaphor and simile. The letters in the word “plane” are represented as falling, symbolizing hijacking. Additionally, the plane’s smoke trail transitions from an unstable line to a stable one, representing the journey toward landing on "safe" ground. Simile is incorporated by connecting the concept of “hijacking” to “glitching,” which is illustrated through a glitch effect applied to the falling letters.

First Choice

Final Choice

The refined concept for this book emphasizes the exaggeration of its title, "Room". I applied hyperbole as the primary rhetorical trope, using shadows around the edges of the cover to emphasize the sense of exaggeration and darkness. To further amplify this effect, I stretched each letter of the title. Additionally, I incorporated the idea of the four corners of a room into the design, creating an allusion to the character's escape into the future and an unknown world beyond the confinement of the room.

Final Choice

Formstorming Concepts for the Selected Book

After refining concepts for two of the three books, I chose "Room" for the redesign and focused on iterating concepts with different types of rhetorical tropes. In the end, I decided to stick with the original refined concept, emphasizing hyperbole and allusion.

Typeface Study

Design Process of the Book Cover in Illustrator

Rough Sketches of the New Layout

Redesigned Book Cover

Adjustments in Illustrator Following Layout Revision

Final Touches: Front Cover Revision

I decided to continue refining the front and back cover of the book since I wasn’t satisfied with the design of the main title. So, to improve it further, I asked for additional feedback from my peers and focused on enhancing the overall impact and consistency of the design.

Final Touches: Back Cover Revision

I changed the typeface to Baskerville for the back cover, since it offers a cleaner and more polished look. This adjustment was based on the core feedback I received from both my peers and my professor.

Final Touches: Spine Revision

Lastly, I decided to revise the spine by extending the room line across it, creating a continuous visual flow that connects both the front and back cover. This new adjustment seamlessly guides the reader’s eye between both spaces.