To begin my research I got a copy of how to be a woman and read it cover to cover. It was a surprisingly fast read, simply because I couldn't put it down. I laughed, a lot, it was a very funny book. Also very honest, brutally so, no sugar coating anything- this is what it's like to have a vagina, yep... there it is. This blunt honesty was refreshing and sometimes made me very emotional. There was a particular chapter where Moran discusses being in an emotionally empty relationship with an asshole of a boy, the desperation to have love, to form it where it doesn't exist, to baby asshole men with a belief that they just need fixing very much connected with me. I have had similar experiences and it was bizarre to have someone word it so perfectly when I have found myself unable to do so.
Sections of the book also make me light up with glee, vagina names, wild muff afros, the power of bras and pants. The aching annoyance of clothing, fashion, not having anything to wear and how an outfit changes the person you need to be for various occasions. The ridiculous nature of stupidly expensive handbags and heels. With many things I felt like I shared so similar opinions but remained unable to express them in really funny and sensical words, and she did it for me, and made me giggle at the same time. Reading this book also makes me now curse the patriarchy every time I stub my toe or drop my keys, because well, it's a fun thing to do.
The short and simple aim of this book was to discuss still existing issues of sexism but do it in a funny way. To be able to handle a topic that affects 50% of the population but laugh about it at the same time. And from reading the book and analysing it I was able to produce some visual ideas as well as gauge the tone of voice required for the cover. The cover needs to not take itself too seriously, so it will be enjoyable to have some fun with the design.
Other Titles and Covers
I went into a bookstore to have a look at the competition and gauge what kind of designs work for feminist/gender based publications. I took pictures of lots of different designs and found that the books tended to fit into three categories.
The stripped back simplistic ones
These covers tend to be rather, as the title suggest, simple and stripped back. Minimal design appears to be making maximum impact. A lot of these titles are the more serious works of feminist writing, The Second Sex and The Vindication of the Rights of Women are both older works that address the initial basis of sexism, the oppression, the lack of rights, the treatment of women as second class citizens. All of these covers with their minimalist looks seem to strip away everything and shout 'LOOK! There's the issue! There's the problem! Look at it!!'. Most of these designs are typography based, when a strong point is being discussed then it seems cutting to the chase and stating it through the cover is a key tool. Although powerful in design these works lack a softness, or a personality in their covers. When addressing difficult issues it seems inappropriate to try and be all personal and friendly and so they don't need to be warm, they need to be strong and stand out, minimal simple design appears to do that.
On a side note The Vindication of the Rights of Women looks like a Saul Bass design... which just rocks.
The female body ones
It's an inevitability. When you talk about women and women's issues there is bound to be a cover with a vagina on the front. I knew this and it was in fact one of my first ideas, something I will sketch down but probably not produce. There are certain covers that go for the obvious, a photograph or literal representation, and then there are versions that do it more subtly. I personally love the cover to The Vagina. It's so simple, so clever but yet so obviously a vagina. The problem is with these covers is that they've been done, and done and done again. It's almost the go to symbol and visual when you consider these works and these displayed are just a few of the many like them. What they aim to connote is either a sense of empowerment or a sense of sexuality. It's something that's supposed to shock you and make you look twice, a controversial image for the controversial topics within female sexuality. These books are powerful but also obvious, it's difficult to push an idea that's been done countless times. Of course it can be done, it would just take a lot of thinking outside the box.
The little bit different ones
There were a few designs that really stood out because there wasn't much else like them. These designs retain the powerful element of minimalist book design whilst injecting a real sense of personality and attitude in the covers. These books feel like they were written by angry women after three glasses of wine and I like that. Except The Vagenda oddly, other than Moran's book, it was the only cover to just have the authors stood there, it seems like a humorous book in a similar vein to How to be a Woman but that being said I've always felt like 'picture of the author' covers are a bit of a dull copout. All the other images in this category I love, The Female Eunuch and Girls will be Girls, just scream angry, angry protesting woman who is going to 'sort this shit out', they have a real sense of attitude, but with a pinch of fun. I feel for my cover design I need to find something similar but balanced differently, a sense of fun with a pinch of attitude- however, that is easier said than done. Either way out of nearly all the images I took these were the ones that stood out first and that really impacted on me. It certainly means to me that for my design to be successful I will have to get creative and push away from the obvious, which is wonderful because I love a creative challenge.
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