Penguin Book Cover Feedback

My final book cover display is what is shown above. I showed this in class and had verbal feedback on it. The overall idea was liked with the idea of him sketching his own world. But they felt I could make this stronger by physically using the grid within the sketches. Using the background to develop the sketches. Was also suggested to adventure out from the basic grid shape and use grid we talked about in the past. I also was told the idea of handwritten text worked well but needs to be developed so it felt more like my own writing. The context on back and front need to be changed to what penguin wanted. I also feel like from listening to others than the idea show goes all the way through the book so the design goes on to the back page as well.

Noughts and crosses

For the launch of the new week project I have chosen the book title noughts and crosses. I have looked into the book cover that have been design over the past few years and most of them are the same a nought and a cross one at the bottom and one at the top and the colour scheme is alway black and white.

I think when redesigning this book cover I need to come away from the obvious using the title as the design. I think it needs to link to the plot of the story and maybe use one part of the book to link the design of the cover to it.

When getting this brief I wanted to choose a book that would interest me the most as I don’t really read so I need a book that will interest me from the start. From what I heard about noughts and crosses it was about people from two different classes who were in love. That automatically made me want to look into this title the most over the other one animal farm. This book is a novel set in the 1970s when racism was a big problem but the idea of this book was the opposite the darker skin people ( crosses) were the one that were superior to the pale skinned people (noughts). The novel is based on two young people who are friends. Sephy (cross) and Callum (nought) who find themselves in love with each-other which is forbidden. They have been friends since they were younger and they try and battle with the social system where there is a background of prejudice.

Characters 

• Sephy (cross) – Daughter of a cross, Kamal Hadley. Her and Callum are childhood best friends who fall in love. She looses contact with Callum and then falls pregnant.
• Callum (Nought) – Son of a nought. He best friends and later lovers with Sephy. He is one of the few noughts to get into Sephy’s elite school. Callum is the father of Sephy’s child, but he is hanged.
• Kamal Hadley (Cross) – Father of Sephy, very powerful cross politician.
• Jasmine Hadley (Cross) – Mother of Sephy later becomes an alcoholic.
• Minerva “Minnie” Hadley (Cross) – Sephy older sister.
• Ryan McGregor (Nought) – Callum’s father, who is killed trying to escape from prison after the bombing.
• Meggie McGregor (Nought) – Callum’s mother. Throughout the series, her husband dies in trying to escaping from prison, her daughter commits suicide because of mental illness, her younger son is publicly hanged and her older son is blown up in a suicide attempt by her former friend.
• Lynette McGregor (Nought) – Callum’s older sister who commits suicide by stepping out in front of a bus.

 

Themes

• Racism – Noughts and crosses are separate only a few noughts are allowed at crosses schools. They call each other ‘Blankers’ and ‘Daggers’ they despise one another. There is a clear divide between them.
• Discrimination – This is between crosses and noughts. This is because Crosses are the dominant race, and treat noughts poorly as they are the underclass. Discrimination relates to the theme racism, as the Crosses treat noughts poorly because of the colour of their skin.
• Friendship – The friendship between Sephy and Callum, able to stay friends despite the difference in class they are friend despite the difference.
• Love – The forbidden love between Sephy and Callum

 

I have only read the first few chapter before this project but I want to continue thoughout this project to get a better sense of the characters and the story line.