M4 BOOK COVER (PT. 1)

Forever is a novel by an American writer from Brooklyn, Pete Hamill. Published in 2003 by Back Bay Books, it tells the story of Cormac O'Connor, who arrived in New York City from Ireland in 1741 to pursue revenge. He is granted immortality as long as he stays on the island of Manhattan. He watches New York City grow from a tiny settlement to the metropolis of today. Through this novel, Pete Hamil brings us closer to New York's history, putting us in the epicenter of all. This is a must-read for anyone who lives in New York City, wants to visit, or is interested in its history. The book also takes a dive into the Irish way of life, the Irish Famine, and the relationships of the time between Britain and Ireland.

The original book cover has a view of the city and is very simple. It could be more eye-catching, and the only reason I discovered it is because it was among my husband's books, and he recommended it to me. I would like to re-design the cover to be more noticeable. I will still use a principle similar to the original cover, wrapping the book's front and back with a single image - an effective gestalt principle. After watching the instructional video about creating a book cover, I will use similar placement and spacing in my cover's final design, with margins from the edge of the book. That will give a book a more professional look.

1. My first design shows Manhattan behind a chainlink fence - symbolizing drawing the line to the main character's position of being trapped within the limitations of the island. There is a rip in the fence - he always has the option to forego immortality and leave the island if he chooses to. I kept the same style for the author's name and title to draw a connection to the original edition but enlarged the size to be visible from afar. 

2. Second re-design idea is to have a more colorful and eye-catching cover by introducing colors of the sunset. Sunset symbolizes that life is fleeting, even if you are given "forever." Skyline of Manhattan shows that the book is about the city, the city's life, and history.

3. In this re-design, I decided to go with a dark background, a silhouette of a man walking. The word forever is over his head, and the author's name is under his feet. All text will be off-white to give it a bright contrast. The back and spine will be in the same black color with a description in a light color to keep with the theme.

4. In this concept, I put a silhouette of a man walking against bright sunset, the Manhattan skyline behind him. The book cover is split into two colors, bright on top and dark on the bottom. This symbolizes the journey of the main character.

Book description.

This is a story of a man who has to fulfill a blood oath by revenging the death of his parents. Cormac travels from Ireland to New York in pursuit of an earl who murdered his parents during the Irish Famine. He is granted immortality within the bounds of Manhattan for his bravery and kindness. The author paints a mesmerizing picture and gives us an opportunity to live through the character and experience NYC in different time periods. The book shines the light on the lesser-known history of New York City, its inhabitants, relationships, and struggles people faced and still do.

“What Are the Gestalt Principles?” The Interaction Design Foundation, https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/topics/gestalt-principles