The Distorted Present
[Book Cover Design]
[Typography] [2022]
Overview
A conceptual book cover design exploring extrasensory perception (ESP), with a focus on 'precognition'. The design uses typographic form, visual symbolism, and emotional cues to communicate abstract interpretations and experience.
Process
Researched ESP and ‘precognition,’ sketched thumbnails to explore ideas, and developed digital roughs. The strongest concept was refined into a final book mock-up.
Softwares Used
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe InDesign
Theme
Extrasensory Perception
Project Duration
6 weeks
Stage 01 :
Research
Explored ESP through brainstorming and mind-mapping to identify visual solutions, guiding the development of thumbnail sketches.
Thumbnail Sketches
[Explored different concepts with meanings]
Stage 02 :
Design development
Explored the ESP, precognition, through book cover concepts, building on initial thumbnails while developing new approaches to express the ideas.
[Explored different typographic compositions with meanings]
Digital Cover Roughs
I developed my preferred thumbnails into three digital roughs, reflecting on the visual strategy used in each concept to express the idea of ‘precognition'.
Animation
In my first digital rough, I used a glitch effect on the typography to represent both the title 'The Distorted Present' and the idea of precognition shifting between different future moments. Distorted red text was placed at the top to represent upcoming future events, while white fragments fell toward the bottom to symbolise the present.
Design rationale
In my second digital rough, I stretched and warped the title across half the page to suggest how seeing the future causes the present to waver. The title also rises and decreases in size towards the right, indicating movement into the future.
Design rationale
My third digital rough was the most effective in expressing precognition. I obscured parts of the title to suggest an incomplete future shaped by changing events. The word ‘present’ sits beneath the levitated, distorted type to represent standing in the present while looking ahead, with a black shadow creating contrast between present and future.
Design rationale
Stage 03 :
Final Design
I transformed my strongest digital rough into a realistic book mock-up, bringing the concept of precognition to life.
Stage 04 :
Reflection
I challenged conventional typesetting to convey precognition, using composition, colour, and typography to overcome design challenges.
During the design and production process, I found it challenging to express the idea of ‘seeing the future’ in multiple ways. I addressed this by experimenting with typographic composition, including placement, weight, size, perspective, and contrast through colour and shadow. By combining these elements, I was able to develop three effective digital roughs, using colour and type weight in particular to create a balanced and cohesive design.