In this exercise I was asked to look at different covers designed for a book throughout the years and see the differences between them and identify what ties them together.

The book The Handmaid’s tale by Margaret Atwood was suggested as such. This book was first published in 1985, and has seen a number of re-releases since. I have heard about this book many times but have not read it myself. I have started to listen to the book as an audiobook whilst doing some research on the previous covers for the book.

Found a really good resource with covers of the book listed by year and designer.

Title: The Handmaid’s Tale (isfdb.org)

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I tried to find as many different versions of the cover as possible. What seems to tie these covers together the most is the colour red and the depiction of the bonnet that the handmaids need to wear in the novel.

In terms of their closer context, things seem to have started to change to make these elements more of a focus after the first film adaptation of the novel in 1990. Perhaps the movie itself have captured the imagination of cover designers and lead them down on this path.

Here is a trailer for the movie.

I also found a good comparison video on YouTube that analyses the differences between the book and the TV series that was based on the novel.

This gave me another great insight into the story and I feel like I am ready to start designing the cover. I think the elements are quite obvious, I will attempt to include the following:

• Bonnet
• Colour red
• Autor’s name
• Novel’s title

I really liked the flat minimalistic design by Noma Bar, and wanted to use a similar approach. I think this will also benefit most from being changed around in the frame to create different layouts. My plan is to start by creating one cover which I can change around to create different variations of.

Found a bonnet image on Google that I thought will work fairly well as a basis for my motif.

Another element that stood out to me was the rope where they were hanging some of the outlaws at the square, so I really wanted to try to see if I could perhaps include a noose, perhaps as the tie for the bonnet.

Noose image source: Hangman’s noose, close up – JRF00106 – Julian Rupp/Westend61

I found this exercise really inspiring. It is astonishing how many different versions you can create just using simple elements, and how the simple elements such as the font use can make a massive difference in terms of the feel of the cover.

I think my favourites are the last couple. I could imagine one being on the dust jacket and the other one underneath on the actual book board.

Conclusion

While the covers are relatively simple, I am quite impressed with how they turned out. I think this is mostly because I had a strong foundation to build on by doing thorough research into the previous covers for this novel and the story itself. I feel like this exercise has shown me once again that working in a modular fashion so that I can play with the individual elements is super important. Once you have come up with an idea you should try to iterate and reflect to find ideas that work best.