For this coursework we had to design a book cover on a theme of our choice that comprises of our own original digital photography. The theme I have decided to base my book cover on is “Poverty”. I wanted to make a book cover with a visual integrity, which means that I wanted the reader to get the theme of the book by just looking at the cover. I wanted a simple but elegant piece of work.
In order to make a great book cover I had to first of all has a great photography based on my theme. Luckily, my father organised a trip to India during the Christmas holidays. I decided to use this opportunity to bring my camera and take some pictures. I have a Canon 600D camera with the 55-70mm kit lens. I am always passionate by photography. I like taking pictures during my free time and upload them on my social page.
During the trip I went to a small village called “Kichocha” in Lucknow, New Delhi. It is a really poor village with people living in huts. I then took a Cycle Rickshaw also known as a “Pedicab” and ride through the villages taking pictures. In order to get good pictures while in a vehicle I used the sport mode on the camera, because the sport mode uses a higher shutter speed to help stop fast actions. I took some great photographs during the trip that shows the true lives of the Indian.
When I was back from my trip, I went through all the pictures I have taken and chose the right one suitable for my book cover. I have chosen that particular pictures because, it was one of my favourite and also was the most likeable by my friends on my social page. It also has a lot of spaces to input my texts. I also wanted a picture that the people will notice and remember. The reader always remembers powerful images on a book cover. I think this picture has done the job based on the likability of my friends.
The Essay on Wordless Picture Books
By David Wiesner A bright, science-minded boy goes to the beach equipped to collect and examine flotsam — anything floating that has been washed ashore. Bottles, lost toys, small objects of every description are among his usual finds. But there's no way he could have prepared for one particular discovery: a barnacle-encrusted underwater camera, with its own secrets to share... and to keep The ...
I then started editing the pictures. The software that I have used is Adobe Photoshop CS6. The reason I have chosen this software is because I am very familiar with this program since I have used it several times for previous works. I find it a very professional image-processing tool that is easy to operate.
During the editing phase, I first of all had to crop the image since the work should be submitted in A4 layout. I have cropped the image in a way that I get the interesting part of the pictures in focus and also leaving space for the texts and book spin. I then did some research online of book covers of how they place their titles, subtitles, authors etc.
I then created my title. I based my title from the theme of the picture itself, named “The Little Indian”. I wanted the book to look like a novel based on the life of that little boy climbing the wall. For the title, I have decided to place it at the top because there was nothing interesting to show the audience from on top of the image apart from buildings.
For the font I wanted a typography that are clean, readable and that match with the theme of the photography. I have used Lucida Black Letter for the word “India”. I find it a bit like Indian style fonts. I then used different fonts for the word “The” and “Little” to make it look like a logo instead of a basic one-line sentence. For the colours I have chosen colours that make the texts pop out from the image, since the image is already very colourful. I find that green, red and yellow work well together for the title. I also applied stroke and shadow to the text to make it more easily for the viewer to read.
I then designed the subtitle. I firstly did some research online to find a good phrase for my subtitle that reflects my theme. I then came up with “A true story of Poverty and Wealth”. I think subtitle is important in book cover, because it reflects the tone and emotion of the book with just a single line. I then came up with the idea of making the subtitle perspective with the wall. In order to attain this effect, I used the Vanishing Point Filter with the help of some tutorials online. I think it makes it look cool and interesting to read. This will keep the viewer interested with the way the text is attached to the picture.
The Business plan on Book and Popular
1. Introduction Popular Holdings is a Singapore-based company that is listed on the Singapore Exchange. Popular is best known for its chain of Popular Bookstores under the Retail and Distribution unit. The Group currently carries out its publishing activities through subsidiaries operating in countries such as Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and Canada. Its bookstore operations have ...
I then made the author name, using white impact front. The reason I have chosen Impact front is because I find it popularly used by designers and also it is easy to read and grabs the attention of the viewer. For the spin, I made the background in black colour so that the title on the spin is readable. I have used impact as font for the title and author name. I made the title on the spin same colour as the original logo title on the book cover to make it look more attractive on the shelves. I additionally add a publisher logo on the spin to make it look more realistic for a book cover.
What I have learnt during the design process is planning and time management. I think both are important in making projects efficient. I have also improved my Photoshop Skills. I have learnt how to use the Vanishing Tool with the help of some tutorials online. For the camera, I could have much better pictures if I had a Zoom Lens for my camera instead of the kit lens. I could also have a better title logo if I knew how to use other software like Adobe Illustrator, which is more specialised in creating logos. I also feel that I lack some knowledge in using the correct colours for the fonts. However I manage to make it look good with the help of some friends’ feedbacks. Overall I am satisfied with the project.
