Lost Histories of Youth Culture - Book Cover

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Lost Histories of Youth Culture is a collection of rebellious stories of youth cultures from around the world trying to find their identity and their purpose.

The problem that I noticed with the original book cover was the disconnect between the cover and the ideas explored in the stories.

The themes in the book include identity, self-exploration, as well as making change in the face of normalcy. I designed two covers and wanted to utilise watercolour paints to add a personal touch to the covers, while also expressing that idea of youth and playfulness.

Analysis and Ideation

I conducted a visual analysis of the original cover, which included inspecting the design elements and principles.

This was an important part of the design process, as it gave me the guidance to make a cover that was related more to the books content, while also giving me some pointers of things I should avoid (too much photography, less empty space, varying typefaces).

I really enjoyed working with watercolour paints in this project, as it has always been a hobby of mine. The reason why I chose watercolour paints is because of the way it behaves and moves, it feels very fluid and dynamic even when it is dried.

I also love the granulation it produces, and utilising higher quality paints with a higher pigment content in this scenario was the best option for me to get really interesting shapes and textures. After letting my page dry, I scanned it and utilised Adobe Photoshop to increase the clarity and vibrancy of the paints.

Final Solutions