The Penguin book competition also spans to adult books, with this year’s choice being the classic novel “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”.

Penguin Book Cover

I ran with the theme of eggs, for a variety of reasons. The most obvious, of course, is that it relates to the title, specifically the Cuckoo’s nest (seeing as they don’t usually have nests). However, the image of an egg also conveys an idea of life being trapped and vulnerable, as well as unfinished, all of which are themes within the book. By drawing them cracked (apart from one), I wanted to show the abuse that happens within the book in addition to the fragility of a person’s psyche. The “nest” consists of jagged twigs and brambles acting like barbed wire to represent the entrapment theme in the story. The hand-drawn type alludes to the uncontrolled nature of the mind as well as a sense of freedom.

Again, I designed minimalistic visuals combined with use of texture to create a visual hierarchy and a tactile feel to the imagery. The plaster texture on the background is a pale, ill-looking institutional shade of green to add to the setting of the book.