collaborative “book cover” project

how do you imagine the possibilities of narrative?
how do you represent these possibilities?

introduction

As you’ve been learning from your photo essay project, words, texts and thoughts work hand in hand with images. Think about your reading practices: do you imagine what the locations, characters and other details described for you look like? When you see an adaptation of your favorite book are you surprised by how someone else’s has visually interpreted the work? Are you at odds with their interpretation? Or does it match what you had in mind? What about when you’ve seen a film adaptation before you read the text that goes with it: Do you envision the actors and actresses as the characters?

Consider book covers. You know the old adage, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” But we do, of course. I can’t tell you how many times a book’s cover design has caught my attention and made me want to read the book, a book I might not have otherwise found. A book cover is not a direct interpretation of the plot or characters or text but rather uses metaphor, design and typography to make a statement.

Imagery is a powerful tool for designers, writers, artists, filmmakers, etc. It allows you to take your ideas and mold and shape them into something for others to see, understand and interpret.

project

This is a group project. Each group will create a book cover for Italo Calvino’s if on a winter’s night a traveler. The cover should not be summaries nor reviews nor direct or literal interpretations of Calvino’s text. Rather, you should represent possibilities and explorations work. You cannot use the exact images from any of the previous if on a winter’s night a traveler covers. If, for example, you want to use an image of the train you should re-envision the train in some way so that you’re not simply copying what has already been done but rather revising and re-imagining it. The idea is to intrigue future readers with your cover. Depending on the size of your group, you might want to do a front and back cover or multiple covers with opposing or complementary interpretations. We will work through proposals, storyboards, mock-ups, and so on, concluding with  presentations of the projects.