The Song of Achilles
Book Cover Reimagine
The redesign project of "The Song of Achilles," tailored specifically for the Hong Kong SAR and Taiwan markets. This task focuses on creating a poetic yet culturally resonant book cover for the Traditional Chinese translated edition of this beloved title.
With careful consideration of colours, typography, and curation of archival sculpture for the visual, the new cover design not only emphasised the plot's raw emotion but also delicately catering a sense of visual subtlety to readers in Hong Kong & Taiwan regions for inclusive experience.
Adapting existing archival item for sentiment visual storytelling while being conscious on readability and informational assets.
Traditional Chinese Version (Translated for Hong Kong & Taiwan regional sales)
The Song of Achilles
Versions inspired the outcome,
For this project, I curated an original archival sculpture, focusing primarily on layout and informational elements as the sculpture expressiveness is enough in conveying the desired emotions for the title with right amount of delicateness. So I further balance it out with emphasis on readability while still being aesthetic consciousness.
Contrary to my initial expectation of dynamic visuals, the final design underscored the importance of simplicity and clarity in book covers. As I explored various art styles, the direction naturally shifted towards a muted, visually poetic tone that harmonised with the archival sculpture's mood, lending an intimate and delicate sentiment to the cover. Yet surprisingly, it also achieved my wish in making it culturally relatable as I manipulated the sculpture image, it further became visually inspired by Traditional Chinese landscape painting. Becoming a win-win situation. Then further on with artworking process involving technical tasks of vectorising a low-resolution logo, redesigning a barcode layout, and ensuring proper dimensions and bleed areas. Ensuring all elements are ready with publishing standards.
Opening a detailed world of technical and artistic considerations within book cover design for me, boosting my curiosity on cover and print design within the publishing industry.
