1984

This is my self-initiated cover of 1984, the classic dystopian novel by George Orwell set in a totalitarian society. This iconic book has been redesigned countless times over the years, so I challenged myself to find a new and creative way to represent the story. Many previous versions center around the idea of surveillance and often feature a prominent eye motif to signify the ever-watching rule of the government. I took a different approach, focusing instead on the manipulation of perceptions and beliefs. My design is based on the term, "BLACKWHITE," in the book, which is defined as “a loyal willingness to say that black is white when Party discipline demands this, [and] the ability to BELIEVE that black is white, and more, to KNOW that black is white, and to forget that one has ever believed the contrary.”

I illustrate this concept using two layers on the cover. The outermost layer is half black and half white. The numbers “1984” are cut out to show a grey layer underneath. They are cut in such a way that keeps the letterforms from tearing while creating a mysterious drop-shadow-like effect — a nod to the layers of secrecy in the story. The high contrast in the top layer makes the bottom layer seem like two colors through the cutouts (notice how “19” appears lighter than “84”), but when the outside layer is lifted up, it reveals that the inside layer was a single color all along.

The optical illusion created by the two layers alludes to the Party’s twisting of information in 1984 and the often paradoxical, BLACKWHITE loyalty of its members. When a reader discovers the illusion, they parallel the main character of the book when he realizes he has been manipulated by the government.

Finally, the cover is set in Futura, which, designed in 1927, would have been available in 1948, the year this book was written. Both typeface and novel are historically significant, yet continue to be relevant today. Similar to the cold bureaucracies in the story, Futura’s precise geometry on this monochromatic cover gives off an unfeeling, institutional air.