The Mind of Design: February 2015

My current project is to create book jackets for Amy Tan's novels The Joy Luck Club and The Valley of Amazement. Before I began designing, I watched Peter Mendelsund's Read, Think, Design: Create Stunning Book Covers video to get some tips from a pro. A lot of the things he stated, I already do prior to designing, including writing down the most important parts of the manuscript (words, mood, objects, characters, etc.) But he definitely reinforced the importance of this step. I loved the fact that his next step was to take two blank pieces of paper and freely sketch different cover ideas. This makes designing on the computer much easier if you already have a rough idea visually laid out for you. He took the most simple ideas and ran with them, ultimately creating some very interesting book covers.

Peter Mendelsund's video helped me realize that I don't need to over think things as much as I do. I tend to stress myself out while trying to decide on a design concept to go with, when I should just trust my gut and start with the first things that come to my head. I especially love how he stressed the importance of eliminating unnecessary elements. This simple action can really enhance any design. I look forward to sharing my final designs for these covers with you guys, stay tuned!