Portfolio
Book Cover Design
Process of selected concept:
Concepts:
Project Title
Zheng He’s Voyages to Africa in the 15th Century.
Brief Overview or Introduction
Summary: [From the brief:] ‘Through a combination of methodologies of social and natural sciences, literature studies and fieldwork, history review and reality analysis, Dr. Li Xinfeng, the book’s author has presented readers with an in-depth, comprehensive and multi-dimensional vision regarding the relationship of Zheng He’s voyages with Africa, together with the significance of his arrival in Africa to local African people and society, and advanced the history of oversee Chinese people in Africa by 300 years’.
Project goals: Design a book cover, including:
- Three to five cover design options
- Final full cover design including flaps
- Title page design
- Print-ready files
Client: Human Science Research Council Press
Problem: Although a high-ranking book involving the Chinese and South African governments, the remuneration for the cover was relatively low, so it was challenging to work within a profitable amount of hours.
Role
Responsibilities: My role as the Designer involved reading the manuscript and designing a book cover in line with its content.
Process & Development:
Research: The research revealed a Chinese map from the Ming Dynasty which is one of the oldest maps of East Asia. It became the main inspiration for the chosen cover design option and provided great context for Zheng He’s travels.
Conceptualisation: The first concept used the same look and feel of the map, with gold leaf and painted green ocean on stretched silk, although this version was abstracted, and used gold leaf and cardboard.
Iterations: The first iteration was a thumbnail sketch.
Prototypes: The first prototype featured a background photo of the abstracted map and the title.
Final Solution/Design: The Client requested that the coin and broken ceramic pieces which the author photographed and placed inside the manuscript, which were actual found artefacts and remnants of Chinese culture in Africa, and which were used for cover design option 5, to place that on the abstract map background, and the design was complete; with some further changes to the title typeface and so forth.
Tools & Technologies Used: An array of tools from physical to digital, including paper notebooks, pencils, a digital SLR camera, Photoshop, and Illustrator.
Results & Impact: The Client went on to print their usual print run of about 1000 copies.
Testimonials or Client Feedback: ‘Everyone loooves the cover, it’s beautiful – it is our best this year. This is also why it is in the centre of our email signature, so thank you very much for all the hard work you’ve put in.’—Siphokazi Mdidimba, Editorial Project Manager at HSRC Press.
Challenges & Learnings: The flaps were a little bit too wide, it could be decreased to about 100mm.
Call to Action:
Order a book launch package: info@riaanwilmans.co.za
Purchase a paperback copy of this book here.
Additional Materials:
