Adult Fiction Cover Award - To Kill a Mockingbird

I've been putting this task off for a while, it seems SO daunting, the idea of entreating a PROFFESIONAL compeition really makes me feel nervous, my work going towards something, going up against others. But, I'm READY!

THE BRIEF

"We would like you to design a new and classic cover for this book. The trick here will be to come at it from a fresh perspective and to avoid repeating the obvious iconography from the many previous editions in print. If you can get your hands on a copy of the book in order to get a sense of the beautiful writing, this will only help to inspire your design. The cover should feel timeless and confident, and appeal to a whole new generation of readers.

We are looking for a striking cover design that is well executed, has an imaginative concept and clearly places the book for its market. While all elements of the jacket need to work together as a cohesive whole, remember that the front cover must be effective on its own and be eye-catching within a crowded bookshop setting. It also needs to be able to work on screen for digital retailers such as Amazon. "

KEY POINTS!

• Fresh! Something that hasn't been done before, it needs to appeal to a WHOLE new generation, it needs to be MODERN but still focus on the timeless aspects of the book!
• HOW COULD I DO THIS?!
• Don't use old imagery - this means i need to research the older covers, take notes and look at what aspects are repeated and which elements I could make original and FRESH!
• They ask for a STRIKING cover design. How could I do this? Should I work with more impact shape based designs, as opposed to my usual more delicate line based imagery? I'll need to experiment with imagery a lot in order to see how it works when see from far away and next to other busy designs when on a bookshelf.
• I need to really consider typography. I'm a great fan of hand rendered text but I need to consider how this would work and if it would be able to stand out amoungst stronger texts.

PREVIOUS BOOK DESIGNS

• These previous book covers of To Kill a Mockingbird are all, in someways quite similar. They all possess a very similar colour scheme, with the 'obvious iconography' that the brief suggests to stay away from. Maybe it would be a good idea for me to use a completely different colour scheme, focussing on tones that haven't really been used in the same context before.
• It's a challenging task, when I first saw the brief, I considered using the mocking jay as the main aspect of the cover, but this is VERY obvious. I need to think more and consider stronger images that I could use.
• If the brief suggests using a more 'fresh' approach, maybe I should consider using a graphic and modern collage approach with colourful aspects, but still keep the 'timeless' features of the story.
• I'll need to consider the fact that TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD is a well known title, I should make it stand out amongst the rest of the cover, this is what makes the title sell, along with the author, harper lee, also a well known name that will enable the book to sell.

GRAPHIC DESIGN STYLES TO CONSIDER

• Following looking at the brief, I began to consider the use of a more modern and 'fresh' approach, as the brief states. Most of the past covers consist of a fairly standard illustration with a text fitting around the image. It would be exciting to consider the use of collage and bold, modern graphic text.
• I'll need to experiment with these ideas a lot as I haven't really worked with this style of working in the past, but it could be really exciting, I feel so enthused about this brief now! 
• I love the overlay of the print and texts. This is quite a different and modern technique to use in design. It would be really interesting to use this idea in my design.
• I'd like to keep my colour palette quite simple but still stand out and bright amongst the look of the previous book covers. 
• Maybe I could mix the hand rendered text and the more digital typography, this is an interesting approach? I guess I'll just have to experiment and play around with what looks good. But this is a really great start. I'm glad I've made a positive start.

NEXT STEPS.

• Start designing! I'll need to do a bit more research into existing book covers, to get an idea of how I could be experimental and 'fresh' within reason.
• Consider imagery and illustrations that I could use, I need to think creatively, not be repetitive. I studied the book at school, so i already have a strong understanding of the story and a lot of different contexts and meanings behind it, which is helpful! I might re read over it and look into interesting quotes and interpretations to see if I could explore any of those as a different route to take for the design.