#prhdesignaward

[bulgurwheatoh]

My take on A Wrinkle In Time, which I made for the Penguin Design Awards!

[kelseywood94]

Concept 1 [PBC Brief]

For my first book cover concept of this project, I wanted to focused on quite possibly, the most commonly known aspect of climate change - sea level rising which ultimately creates flooding. Flooding is heavily featured throughout the book as one of the many natural disasters that lie ahead. 

INSPIRATION

Throughout the book, ‘An Uninhabited Earth’ by David Wallace-Wells, we find many pieces of information and quotes on the subject:

“likely flooding”

“thanks to flooding and literal sinking, it [Jakarta; one of the worlds fastest growing cities] could be entirely underwater as soon as 2050″

“Damages from river flooding would grow thirty fold”

“flood damage would increase by between 160 and 240%”

“even empires of agribusinesses slipping underwater”

EXPERIMENT

Taking inspiration from this, I thought about how I could engulf my typography in water to show a them of drowning/flooding. I experimented with some thick display text and water. 

I really wanted to recreate the reflected lettering in this experiment as I felt this was the clearest way to show the letters were underwater. 

I also played around with photographing this myself however found it really difficult to capture the image I wanted with the tools I had. I eventually used a stock image to recreate the lettering sliding underwater and this became the cover for my first concept. 

I used a thick display font and gave it a 3D look in photoshop as I wanted it to look as thought it was light enough to be floating but heavy enough to be sinking, into the deep water below. I also wanted this text to appear clean, shiny and industrial, like the many cities of the modern world who will unexpectedly be engulfed in water in the future. I chose a relatively clean image of clear water as I wanted give a feeling of depth and unknown to create some fear. 

I think took the design into InDesign to add the template and the additional text. I think this cover captures the bleakness of the future of the earth well and I am happy with the overall finished product. I wish I could have captured the image of the water myself however my underwater camera skills leave a lot to be desired.

REFLECT

Having put my work into a mock up file is PS (a rather difficult job to align with the wrap around cover and less than ideal PSD file), I am glad I chose on large singular image to wrap around the book. It carries the message of drowning on in a cohesive manner. 

If I were feeling fancy and designing to my own brief, I would have the image of the water on the book as a dust jacket that could be removed to reveal the rest of the text below. I would emboss it slightly so it had a shiny feel and a soft matte cover underneath. 

[vintagebooksdesign]

Now in its 15th year, we are pleased to reveal (and celebrate!) the 2021 winners and finalists for the Penguin Random House Student Design Awards. Ella Garrett took the top spot in the Adult Fiction Cover Award with a design for - Life Isn't All Ha Ha Hee Hee. Ella took inspiration from Indian matchbox art to create a vibrant cover that honours the female protagonists shared heritage. In the Adult Non-Fiction division, Megan Kerr created a simple yet powerful design for The Uninhabitable Earth. with a nod toward the fragility of photographic film when burned to mirror the delicate state of the world. In the Children’s Cover category, Aphra Blunt displayed a great use of colour with a reimagined cover for Benjamin Zephaniah’s Talking Turkey’s. Taking inspiration from superhero posters, Aphra gave the turkey a bold stance, reinforced by a vibrant, Reggae inspired colour scheme. Congratulations once again to everyone who took part this year. 🎉#prhdesignaward #bookdesign #graphicdesign #bookillustration #bookswinprizes https://www.instagram.com/p/CQylMVyt2d8/?utm_medium=tumblr

[kelseywood94]

Concept 2 [PBC Brief]

For my second book cover for this project, I really wanted to focus on one of the really silent killers of climate change - landslides. The land, the land we are destroying, the future of the land and the ever changing landscape is naturally, one of the biggest themes throughout the book. 

INSPIRATION

Throughout the book, David Wallace-Wells discusses what would happen to the land: 

“Some of those watching from afar wondered, incredulously, how a mud slide could kill so many [...] by weaponizing the environment.”

“And the kill slowly, too, by cutting off food delivery and medical supplies, making roads impassible”

“and mudslides are amongst the clearest illustrations of what new horrors lie ahead”

““low-lying homes pounded by the mountains’ detritus cascading down the hill side in an endless brown river”

EXPERIMENT

It was from here I knew I wanted to create a cover that paid homage to the mud and the land. I started looking at the ground and navigation and map systems. I started playing around with words on maps to see if I could find a direction to go with this.

It was at this point, I tore into a big bag of old materials I store for future work - scraps of paper and packaging kept behind with a view to recycle and use again. Rummaging around I found this incredible paper that had come in a parcel, one I cannot recollect but I thought it was beautiful. 

I knew instantly that I had to use this pattern and show how uninhabitable the land could become. Being a typography project, I started writing the words on the landlines over and over again in a bid to show the land that was uninhabitable. 

I really felt I was on to something so I went into AI and worked directly onto the paper, working the words along each line however, bearing in mind this was a book cover, I did not want the words to be too imposing. 

I also wanted the title to stand out - I wanted to feel the word breaking and falling apart exactly like the land on the Uninhabitable Earth. Taking a picture of some fresh mud I had taken in my street for inspiration:

I took a bold thick display font and used it to turn the title into the following:

Applying this to map front became the cover I wanted - words smashed apart, words slipping and sliding through the mud and of course, the lines of the land shown clearly. I used quite a generic font here, giving off an over-used ‘Times New Roman’ feel that would demonstrate the modern day life intertwining with the lay of the land - something the modern man believes it has control over but is most definitely mistaken. I tweaked the map ever so slightly and drew my colour scheme from this - muted browns and sandy colours with a simple light grey as a neutral tone to tie it together. 

I think this has created an attractive book cover, again, with a wrap around effect to show a cohesive design. 

REFLECT

I found this to be my most enjoyable cover to create - I enjoyed the recycling aspect of the cover, this tying into the theme of climate change, greenhouse gases, modern destruction of trees to create paper and of course, the pollution created by industrialization. I also like the natural and soft flow of the book that is a nod to how sinister this seemingly natural flow can be - landslides are just one of a long list natural disasters that are brought on by climate change. 

I love the soft tones of the book too - the colour scheme really appeals to me and the theme I picked out from the mood boards. 

[helenkellock]

Back in Glasgow now after a wonderful week in London at ELCAF and a bunch of exciting events and meetings. My suitcase was considerably heavier on my journey home as I made out like an absolute bandit with amazing books and prints. Thanks especially to @lesley_barnes for the lovely print at the front! . . #elcaf #thamesandhudson #prhdesignaward #booklovers #illustration

[thoughtmasons]

When one of the design blogs you follow has your work on their Instagram story: feels pretty damn good 😊✍🏻❤️ Thanks for running a great design competition & for such a brilliant opportunity #prhdesignaward @penguinrhuk #bookdesign #student #competition

[helenkellock]

And tonight...Penguin Random House! Swipe to see the amazing view from their office 😍@penguinrhuk Lovely to be here and to have been highly commended 🎉 Big congrats to @harrywoodgateart ! . . #bookdesign #prhdesignaward (at 80 Strand)

[helenkellock]

My book cover design for Stephen Hawking's A Brief History of Time has been shortlisted for the Penguin Random House Student Design Award and I am chuffed to bits :) This week I have been busy getting the final design polished off and bound but it's finally finished and en route to @penguinrandomhouse 🎉 . Thanks to @indrehilara for her mad photography skills :) . . #prhdesignaward #penguinbooks #bookcoverdesign #stephenhawking #abriefhistoryoftime #booklovers #illustration #bookillustration #quink #ink #thebigbang #space #physics (at The Glasgow School of Art)