This is a little side project I started for myself to get back into reading. I've had a list of books I've been meaning to read, but time always escapes me. This introduces another level of creative thinking that motivates me to finish a book so I can start imagining cover designs. Through research, I get to dig into the background of the story, the author, themes and the historical context to inform my design.
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This is an ongoing project and I hope to add more covers over time
The Stranger
by Albert Camus
The main character visits the beach many times to swim and it is also the backdrop for the turning point of his story. He does not have deep connections with the people around him and just moves through life with indifference. In the end, he must come to terms with death which releases him from any false hopes that he may elude death and frees him to live happily live out his final days.
The vastness of the ocean and a repetitive wave or ripple pattern was the imagery I wanted to capture because it symbolically fits this story so well. The main character is floating, alone, atop the water. He is small and insignificant - just a silhouette. Though lonely, there is also a sense of peace amongst the waves. Even the title "The Stranger" feels like it is slowly fading out of existence.
The Old Man and the Sea
by Ernest Hemingway
This classic tale is about an old fisherman who sets off to farthest parts of the ocean to fish after having no luck for months. His will is tested when he catches a large marlin and struggles to bring it back to shore.
The opening of this story presents the old man as very weathered, yet his eyes are still young and blue as the ocean. He has immense respect and adoration for the ocean and the natural laws that the animals abide by. The illustration is the ocean seen through his eyes, the same color blue, with the tail of the marlin swimming below. Equals, divided by the horizon.
