Independent Study: Front And Back

As the back cover of the book does not appear on ebook screens, you would not be able to encompass the books front and back in this format. Yet this is a successful technique that is often adopted by designers, as seen on Chris Wharton's redesigns for Ernest Hemingway. On his website, he says of his designs, “Ernest Hemingway is a big hero of mine and I was delighted to be commissioned by Random House Mondadori to illustrate a cover for a limited edition run of ‘The old man and the sea’.”

He then put together more mock covers as a person project. Each design makes use of the book's format by running along the front and continuing onto the back. I have always liked the appearance that this technique lends to a book, for it gives the impression of “togetherness”. More can be explored on the back and this usually takes the viewer by surprise, which, in return, holds their attention for longer.

This technique has also been adopted by Chip Kidd and it gives a fluency to his designs, whether the image continues on the back or the back cover takes inspiration from the front.