3D Book Covers

An offshoot publisher for Random House, Vintage Books, released five new book covers for classic sci-fi and horror novels. What attracted me to these books was how unique and innovative they were. For these books have anaglyphic 3D covers and, included inside the book, come with a pair of 3D glasses. Apparently 3D isn't just for TVs.

Suzanne Dean, Random House's creative director, said, “The 3D cover is an idea I thought of a long while ago and had been holding onto until the right book came along. This sci-fi project, with all its B-movie connotations, was the perfect match.”

The five books that were redesigned were:

Planet of the Apes by Pierre Boulle. This was designed by Mick Brownfield, an illustrator who works in advertising, editorial and publishing, as well as being an avid comic-collector, something that is reflected in his work. 

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea and Journey to the Centre of the Earth by Jules Verne, designed by – no surprise here – Jim Tierney.

The Lost World by Arthur Conan Doyle, designed by Sara Ogilvie, an illustrator who studied illustration and print-making. Her illustrative work is feminine, with loose, scratchy lines. It was therefore interesting to see her design for The Lost World, which is bolder and stronger.

The Call of Cthulhu and Other Weird Tales by HP Lovecraft, designed by Vladimir Zimakov. Line-work is extremely prominent in his illustrations, making him perfect for this job. It is also interesting to see him adding colour in this book design, for he usually works in monochrome.

These illustrators were apparently chosen due to their graphic style and defined line-work. Suzanne Dean thought that their work would, “Translate well to a 3D illustration, yet hold together without the use of 3D glasses.”

These illustrators were given guides on how to create a 3D image, on how creating a 3D image relies on the position of the red to the blue tones. This added an extra layer to what the illustrators had to consider when it came to creating these designs. But with their splashes of colour and eye-popping typography, these covers work wonderfully without the 3D glasses also. Indeed, the design for Planet of the Apes certainly caught my eye when browsing my local Waterstones.

The inclusion of 3D glasses is such a fun idea, aiming perhaps to bring a classic tale into the modern era. Again, I knew this would not work on the ebook so was fascinated with seeings the creative experiments of making the most of the physical book. I feel that this design is really encouraging people to pick up the physical copy instead of the digital one.

References: 
http://www.digitalartsonline.co.uk/news/illustration/designing-3d-covers-for-random-houses-new-vintage-line-of-classic-novels/
http://www.creativereview.co.uk/cr-blog/2011/may/vintage-3d-covers
http://www.geek.com/geek-cetera/classic-sci-fi-novels-get-re-released-with-3d-covers-1354795/ 
http://www.vladimirzimakov.com/
http://www.jimtierneyart.com
http://www.saraogilvie.com/
http://www.mickbrownfield.com/