For this project, I was prompted to redesign any book cover. I chose Lev Grossman's The Magicians, a book and television series I deeply enjoy. I decided to make the book cover appear as a deck of playing cards, with the front cover as the face, the back cover as the card backing, and the spine appearing as a stack of cards from a side view.
I found this idea to be very fitting and exciting to me as a fan of both iterations of this series. The story follows the main character, Quentin, as he discovers magic is real and is taught to become a "magician" at Brakebills University. Before discovering Brakebills, Quentin was obsessed with magic (including magic tricks) and a children's book series called "Fillory and Further". During his entrance exam at Brakebills University, his magic potential is revealed as he attempts an everyday card trick and instead performs real magic, levitating the cards and magically forming a castle of cards. Playing cards are a relevant motif to the main character's beginnings.
The front cover/card face shows the main character as the "king" card, and shows his transition from the beginning to the end of the book, when he becomes a king of Fillory. The back cover/card backing is centered around an ornate bee illustration. This illustration is in reference to the Brakebills University logo, but is made in a more detailed manner to achieve a more ornate and royal feeling. To maintain this royal theme, I used a warm color palette, with a large use of gold hues. In order to keep the back cover as solely the card backing, I designed the book to have a dust jacket as well as a hardcover design. The information about the book and the author can be found on the inner flaps of the dust jacket. See more about my process below!
