Penguin  books  |Design  consistency|  Presentation  

PowerPoint  slide  titles  

1  -­‐First  sold  in  1935,  books  for  the  masses  sold  at  Woolworths  for  the  price  at  the  time  they  cost  a  sixpence,  equivalent  to  a  packet  of  cigarettes.  They  were  supposed  to  be  disposable  objects  .  They  were  an  instant  success.  Pleasantly  designed,  easy  to  read  and  accessible.  The  public  loved  them.  

In  1935  Allen  Lane  came  up  with  the  concept  of  the  Penguin  paperback,  bringing  out  a  host  of  the  colour-­‐coded  titles  that  summer  (orange  for  fiction,  blue  for  biography,  green  for  crime),  with  works  by  Ernest  Hemingway,  André  Maurois  and  Christie  herself  part  of  the  launch  list.    

 

2-­‐  Colour  scheme  

This  was  to  easily  define  the  genre  and  distinctive  typography.  Penguins  established  a  brand  identity  readers  could  trust  

Orange  and  white  =  general  fiction  Green  and  white  =  crime  fiction  Cerise  and  white  =  travel  and  adventure  Dark  blue  and  white  =  biographies  Yellow  and  white  =  miscellaneous    Red  and  white  =  drama  The  rarer  purple  and  white  =  essays  and  belles  lettres  (  a  category  of  writing)and    Grey  and  white  =  world  affairs.    

The  colours  made  the  books  seem  collectable,  and  were  aesthetically  pleasing  

Penguin  classic  editions  

1984  (book)  epitomises  the  genius  of  the  design  (colour  coded  orange  fiction).  It  was  first  published  for  the  mass  market  in  1954,  and  the  first  version  had  the  classic  generic  penguin  look  

In   America   the   books   in   colour   looked   like  mini  movie   posters   (i.e.   the   1950s   version   1984).   The  marketing  elements  had   to  go  up  against  other  book  covers   in   the  concession  stands.  A   lot  of   the  book  covers  were  misleading,  the  characters  on  the  front  cover  didn’t  link  to  the  characterisation  by  Orwell,  but  sold  it  to  the  American  public.  

1960s   penguin   under   pressure,   they   needed   a   unified   look,   1984s   eye   cover   =   big   brother,   lead  character?  

In  the  mid-­‐60s  saw  the  rise  of  paintings  for  the  front  covers,  but  they  didn’t  really  relate  to  the  story.  

1984  had  3  covers   in  12  years,   these  changing  covers   showed  a  willingness  by  penguin   to  explore  and  experiment  and  to  make  mistakes.  

1972  covers  reflected  society  at  that  time.     It  was  the  most  shocking  and  famous  and  iconic  cover,  soviet  fears  etc.    

Clockwork   orange   by   David   Pelham,   the   film   was   banned   –   the   cover   was   a   graphic   design  emergency  done  over  night  so  that  they  wouldn’t  miss  the  deadline  of  the  film  

The  cog  eye  represents  so  much  from  the  book  and  can  be  interpreted  differently,  big  eyes  from  the  drug  laced  milk  he  drinks,  goes  to  jail  and  becomes  a  cog  in  the  state  machine,  eyes  wide  from  being  forced  open  due  to  his  brutal  rehabilitation  scene.  (Maybe  get  photos  from  each  part  of  the  film)  –    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1984  -­‐  without  the  book  title  or  author  only  on  the  side  –  front  cover  pipework  back  cover  broken  up  to  show  anarchy.  

Penguin  books  are  a  mix  of  graphic  designers.  

Penguin  shows  its  modern  and  still  relevant  publishing  by  holding  a  competition  for  designers  to  be  the  next  designer  for  the  company  as  well  as  getting  a  job  there.    

 

Would  a  better  choice  have  made  for  a  better  reading  experience  as  well?  

It’s  interesting  to  notice  the  frequency  with  which  classic  paintings  by  great  masters,  that  generally  have  nothing  to  do  with  the  novel  they  are  chosen  to  represent,  are  so  often  the  choice  for  cover  designs  –  and  are  an  uncannily  perfect  fit.  Penguin  Classics  is  one  publisher  that  relies  heavily  on  this  technique,  finding  classic  portraits  that  seem  to  perfectly  represent  the  character  in  a  novel.  

In  my  opinion,  the  best  book  cover  designs  often  lean  toward  simplicity  and  minimalism.