Orlando / White Teeth

Orlando

Objective —

To create a cover for a classical book with provided dimensions
About —

Orlando: A Biography is a classic novel by Virginia Woolf that centers around a nobleman named Orlando who undergoes a change as an adult from man to woman and then goes on to live for centuries. As a woman, Orlando experiences the life of a mother and wife, with her experiences reflecting the shift in gender roles that took place in England over the 18th and 19th centuries.
Process —

The name Orlando as typographic, geometric shapes was applied to the front and back of the cover to best portray the plot. To show the change in gender that Orlando experiences, the columns of typography were manipulated and placed on black and white backgrounds. Each column uses the same set of colors on two different backgrounds to show how Orlando’s internal characteristics and personality would remain constant (with room for growth) even if external characteristics changed (typographic forms change). The concept shows color illusion where even the same set of colors would appear differently on different backgrounds.

Objective —

To create a cover for a contemporary book with provided dimensions
About —

White Teeth is a contemporary novel by Zadie Smith that focuses on the story of three families in London after the war. The novel follows friends Archie Jones and Samad Iqbal and their families, whose relationships and interactions with each other follow a chaotic and comical series of events while showing the differences between the two families’ cultures.
Process —

Incorporating teeth as imagery was an idea that started off with sketching. The idea of removing a few teeth occurred as one of the characters in the book does not have a full set of teeth, and the image depicts comical aspects of the novel; it also serves as important symbolism where there is a societal norm to have a full set of white teeth. Using dynamic handwritten typography complements the illustration.