OUGD503: Responsive- Penguin Brief

Project Rational

Penguin produce a yearly brief asking art and design students to produce a new cover for a selection of books. This year includes the first adult non-fiction category and the book to redesign is Freakonomics- a book written by an economist Steven Levitt about presenting data in an interesting way. 

The brief requires a design that's witty, original and interesting, one that reflects the tone of the book and the way it sees the world and potentially hint at the wide range of topics included within the book. The judges look for an imaginative and clear, clean concept presented in a professional way that is suitable for it's market and yet can stand out clearly from a crowded book shelf.

The cover must include all the cover copy as supplied and be designed to the specified design template (B format, 198mm high x 129mm wide, spine 20mm wide).

I started the brief by looking at previous covers for the books as well as getting a brief understanding for what the book is about.

 

The two previous covers aren't exactly the most eye catching of designs (and if they are it's for all the wrong reasons), they're both quite busy, and personally to me, the photo montage on the right seems to make very little sense linking to the title. It may, however, link to the content but I feel the link isn't obvious to someone who hasn't read the book.

So many people do judge a book by it's cover and based off of these it seems that a more eye grabbing simplified design is needed.

Summary of the book (taken from Book Rags)

'What trait is shared by both Ku Klux Klan members and real-estate agents? In what way do the working worlds of Chicago schoolteachers and Japanese sumo wrestlers intersect? These questions might seem puzzling at first glance, but the answers provided in Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything reveal that fundamental notions of economics can be used to interpret just about everything in modern society.'

Freakonomics essentially looks at how economics and gathered data can explain almost anything, including things that seem to have no correlation.