Project Title: Typographic Book Cover for Shakespeare’s Hamlet
Year: 2013
Client: Class project
Materials Used: Illustrator
This was a project for a typography class. The goal was to design the cover of a favorite book using mainly typographic elements. I chose the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare.
I wanted to capture the drama of the story and use primarily black, the only color worn by the titular character. The text of the title is slightly offset diagonally to represent the precarious mental state of the protagonist. It also is meant to look as if it was sliced in half by a sword, which is a nod to the final scene of the play. A wavy red line extends from the title to the bottom of the book, symbolizing a stream of blood and the violence that pervades the story.
While challenging, I enjoyed this project because it gave me a chance to explore one of my favorite stories visually.
