How to Design a Book? Author: Peter Mendelsund / David J. Allworth Publisher: Shanghai Culture Publishing House

Introduction · · · · · ·
How are covers, especially those of literary books, designed? Based on what understanding do designers make visual presentations for texts? How can covers strike a balance between artistic expression and product packaging?

This book examines the art of cover, which is on the edge of literature, through many outstanding cover designs and the stories behind them, displays of covers of various best-selling books, an overview of the history of cover development, and insights from dozens of literary and design masters.

Editor's Recommendation:

★A collection of picture albums that book lovers should not miss

Contains more than 500 famous covers in literary history, in a large 16-mo hardcover format, like an exquisite art album, including priceless antique books, precious first edition covers of many famous works, and groundbreaking and controversial covers.

★Uncover the secrets of the book design process and listen to industry giants share their design experience

From common techniques and design processes to sources of inspiration and how to outwit and outwit the client, this book reveals the secrets of book cover design. Who influenced those designers who pioneered the era? How to interpret the cover of "Lolita" and how the cover of "A Clockwork Orange" was born... A large amount of historical materials + interviews with writers and designers reveal the little-known cover stories.

★Sorting out the development history of book covers

From simple book wrapping paper in the early 19th century, to covers of various artistic styles in the 20th century, to covers presented as thumbnails in the digital age, this book uses a timeline and rich pictures and historical materials to intuitively present the development history of book covers, as well as the concerns and thoughts of designers on the art of cover design in the digital age.

★The world-renowned book binding designer and Harvard University scholar have joined forces to interpret the meaning of the cover from multiple angles

The cover is a bridge between the text and the outside world, and an invitation to potential readers. Great cover designers can often "think in images" and transform text into a variety of visual expressions. The cover in turn shapes readers' expectations of the text. This book uses rich cases to present the symbiotic relationship between design and literature, and fully discusses the value of the cover as a special image medium.