Standout cover design is an integral part of the success of a book and Penguin Random House has created thousands of iconic book covers throughout the years. The vital role of illustrators and designers in the production of some of the world’s best-loved adult and children’s books has created and defined the identity of our UK publishing lists.
The Penguin Random House Student Design Awards are an opportunity for students interested in pursuing a career in design to experience real cover design briefs first-hand.
The process is made similar to the way designers at Penguin Random house work, as once the judges have selected the shortlist, Art Directors provide the shortlisted entrants feedback and further art direction on their submissions. Shortlisted entrants are then invited to resubmit their work, taking on
board all the comments, before the final round of judging.
Students may enter a maximum of one design in each of the categories:
Adult Fiction Cover Award: To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
Adult Non-Fiction Cover Award: In Cold Blood - Truman Capote
Children’s Cover Award: The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 3/4 - Sue Townsend
Book Selection
Out of the three potential books to design a cover for in response to the Penguin Random House Student Design Awards, Harper Lee’s ‘To Kill a Mocking Bird’ is the book that I have chosen.
As a result of my existing knowledge of the story, this book has the greatest familiarity to me, having encountered the story previously.
In addition to this, I have no interest in producing cover designs for the Children’s sector of the awards nor the Adult Non-Fiction. I believe Harper Lee’s novel is best suited to my practice.
To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
‘Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit ’em, but remember it’s a sin to kill
a mockingbird.’
This being a lawyer’s advice to his children as he defends the real mockingbird of Harper Lee’s classic novel – a black man charged with the rape of a white girl. From the perspective of young Scout and Jem Finch, Harper Lee explores ‘with exuberant humour’ the irrationality of adult attitudes towards race and class in the Deep South of the 1930s. The conscience of a town steeped in prejudice, violence and hypocrisy is pricked by the stamina of one man’s struggle for justice - but the weight of history will only tolerate so much.
- Penguin
To Kill A Mockingbird is a Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece of modern literature and was voted the most loved book of the last sixty years by The Times readers in October 2009. It has been translated into more than forty languages and has sold over thirty million copies worldwide.
With this Adult Fiction Cover Award brief, Penguin call for designers to create a new and classic cover for this book from a fresh perspective that avoids repeating obvious iconography used on the many previous editions of the book. The cover should feel timeless and confident, and appeal to a whole new generation of readers.
The cover design needs to include all the cover copy supplied and be designed to the specified design template – B format, 198mm high x 129mm wide, spine width 20 mm, incorporating the ARROW branding and all additional elements such as the barcode.
What the judges are looking for:
The Judges are looking for a striking cover design that is well executed, has an imaginative concept and clearly places the book for its market. While all elements of the jacket need to work together as a cohesive whole, the front cover must be effective on its own and be eye-catching within a crowded bookshop setting. It also needs to be able to work on screen for digital retailers such as Amazon.
The winning design will need to:
• Have an imaginative concept and original interpretation of the brief be competently executed with strong use of typography.
• Appeal to a contemporary readership.
• Show a good understanding of the marketplace.
• Have a point of difference from the many other book covers it is competing against.
• Copyright must be cleared for all images used in your cover design and must include a credit line on the back cover of your design or any third party images used. For example: ‘Cover photograph by Joe Bloggs’.
DEADLINE: 7th MARCH 2017
• Appeal to a contemporary readership.
• Show a good understanding of the marketplace.
• Have a point of difference from the many other book covers it is competing against.
• Copyright must be cleared for all images used in your cover design and must include a credit line on the back cover of your design or any third party images used. For example: ‘Cover photograph by Joe Bloggs’.
DEADLINE: 7th MARCH 2017
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