"If there is anything we call truth, it must be this." Book cover design.
I was approached by a cousin of a close friend to design a cover for his book titled: "if there is anything we call truth, it must be this."
His name is Ayodeji Alausa and this would be his first ever completed book. It is a philosophy book that explores life and its truth, and is branched under metaphysics.
Idea Conception:
The first stage of any creative endeavour that is intended to be successful is research. Research is defined by the parameters of the context. In this project, the parameters were audience (philosophy book lovers, literature nerds), genre (Philosophy; metaphysics and ethics) and location (Nigeria). With this we researched book covers; ones for authors based in Nigeria, ones about philosophy as well as themes that resonate with book worms. The purpose of research was to gather knowledge of what has worked, what the landscape was like and to understand the audience liked.
Next up is generating insights. The book was framed as an answer to those looking for it; it draws a conclusion to the deep questions of life. This was the unique quality of the book.
Results of research:
Typography: Philosophy books are mature and sophisticated by nature and the audience is alike so using Swiss or serif fonts reflects that.
Imagery: Audience resonate towards mature themes in art. Minimalism was something worth exploring, the art style has to have depth but still be simple and breathable.
Colour: The book draws conclusion to the mysterious nature of life. Using a blue gradient to represent this transition of knowledge could help.
Idea 1:
The idea hinged on the concept of presenting the book as an illumination in the mysterious depths of life. I did this by positioning a book at the centre of a background of deep and highlighted blues.
Idea 2:
This pays homage to the layout style employed in old books. The imagery plays on the insight generated on the book. It features a wide-open eye used to represent the sudden realisation of truth.
Idea 3 (official selection):
This cover was heavily inspired by a poster for one of my favourite movies: Yi Yi (2000). It features a character emerging from the darkness and into the light. This idea, just like the rest, is a metaphor. This time it represents the move from mystery to truth.
Idea 4 (personal favourite):
In this one, I played on the title of the book. I am a passionate film enthusiast especially for ones that explore subjects like romance, mental well-being or internal struggle. I became very interested when Ayodeji mentioned the title of the book because it reminded me of the films, I loved so I went on to make something that reflected the feelings it gave me.
I came across this image on Pinterest when searching for inspiration. it is part of a project by Japanese photographer Osamu Yokonami and It perfectly represented how the title of the book felt. To me, the narrative is one of a character who was facing some internal struggle (mystery of life) but has now found relief in the truth.
I had to edit the skin colour of the models to suit our landscape and expand the image to give the feel of negative space thus introducing minimalism. The text placement is important because it stamps the idea of the book through the title, almost as a way to emphasize it. That is why is white and, in the centre, instead of the corners.
