1984 BOOK COVER DESIGN
In this design, I wanted to get across the feel of the book that I experienced while reading it. Bleak, minimalistic yet deeper than what one would first think. I wanted to design the book from the perspective of the Big Brother government.
For the front cover, I photographed a note that was burned on the edges. This represented the note Julia gave Winston in the story- the note was the turning point in the book, when he decided to fully rebel against Big Brother.
After reading the note, he immediately throws it down the chute to be burned (where he gets rid of old history as his job). The back cover shows the note smoldering, signifying that moment. (Was it found by Big Brother? Did they see it?) Those are the questions I wanted to implant in a reader's mind.
As for the elements, I created the "lines" attached to the note for two reasons: there were so many "strings attached" to the note in the story. Also, I wanted it to look as if they were puppet strings, the way Big Brother controlled its population like puppets. On the back flap of the book, the strings connect to the phrase "we are watching," which readers would see after the final page of the book.
I also used the black rectangles to reflect redaction of parts of the book. George Orwell's last name was redacted from the cover, and parts of the "about the author" were too. But I incorporated it as a design element. I also wrote the "about the author" in newspeak, the language in the story.
I hope you enjoy!
