Jackets Required: Olive Editions

By Fwis -- Publishers Weekly, 11/4/2008 11:00:00 AM

This is the latest installment in a weekly column by Fwis, a graphic design group that blogs on book jacket design. The Fwis designers judge a recent book by its cover each week on PublishersWeekly.com. 

Titles: Everything Is Illuminated, The Unbearable Lightness of Being and The Mysteries of Pittsburgh
Designer: Milan Bozic
Publisher: Harper Perennial

This new limited-edition line of paperbacks from Harper Perennial caries weight—both in size and content. The whimsical covers, illustrated by Milan Bozic, are simple and humorous interpretations of bestselling titles. What makes them intriguing are the subtle hints at the story—you know that there is a little something in each of them that might only be understood after reading.

Bozic’s illustrations border on symbolism; a factory puffing smoke becomes a symbol of industrial Pittsburgh; a railroad track receding toward the horizon represents Foer’s genealogical journey; and a floating balloon is a direct visual translation of “lightness.” But the illustrative style justifies their use. Drawn in sketchy, black lines against solid primary colors, the illustrations give you a sense that these could be straight out of someone’s journal. Instead of boring icons, these sketches feel personal and sincere.

This series is a good example of an attempt to use design to define a book, author or series as a classic. Sporting a striped spine and minimal cover typography (no bylines or sales quotes), these books assert themselves as classics, fit to be shelved and loved. The contrast of the cover illustrations and the classic layout make you feel like you are seeing something fresh, but grounded.