Book Cover
This
is a book cover designed by Mary Schuck for Harper Collins. I read this book a
few years ago but it had a different cover–a photograph of a grassy hill with
some young men in silhouette standing atop the hill. Why they changed from the
cover posted in Print Magazine, I will never know!
I love simplicity
in design–when a designer can convey the message of a piece with uncomplicated illustrations,
great color choices, and minimal text.
This cover is reminscent of one of my favorite designers, Saul Bass. It
has lots of his trademarks: hand-drawn text, clean lines, simple graphics, and
thoughtful use of color & space.
The main reason I
am so attracted to this cover is that it evoked an emotional response for me. I
remembered just how I felt when I was reading the book (as narrated by Agu):
the overwhelming sadness as he sees his father murdered; the horror as he becomes
a child soldier; the grief when he looses of faith in humanity; and the mixed-emotions
of the unresolved ending of the book. I don't really like remembering the book because
it was very hard to read nevertheless, the cover is highly successful since it triggered
such an emotional response. I guess you might ask if I saw the original cover would
I also have such a response? I have seen it several times while looking through
my bookshelves and haven't given it a second thought. But who knows, it could be
just because it has been there for years.
Source: Print Magazine Regional Design Annual,
November/December 2007.
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