Revolution

I love browsing in bookshops and looking at the various book covers, and have been a fan of Penguin's classics in all their different incarnations. However, I have been really impressed over the past few years with he way in which Random House's imprint 'Vintage' have revolutionised their range of classic ficiton.

The brand has been made stronger by the implementation of some simple but strict rules: matt cover; in top right hand cover thin-typography of the word 'vintage' in capital letters followed without a gap by the surname of the author in thicker type; title of novel placed elsewhere on the cover in type evocative of the era the book is set in or written, or subject matter. All this is set against a single photograph or illustration.

Although these rules are strict, they still leave huge scope for the designer, and I think they have come up with a fantastically diverse yet unified range of covers - which, in itself, is not easy to achieve. I also like the fact the spines of the book are a rich, red colour with the white typography standing out against this background. Cleverly, they look great on a bookshelf and make you want to add to your collection.

I've attached some of my favourites. I think that these novels have been designed almost as CD covers or film posters. They're bold, original, eye-catching, attractive and contemporary - and for me, at the moment, they leave the current Penguins Classics for dead.

   
A particularly uninspiring Penguin Classic: I have no desire to pick it up, let alone buy it. It's just a drab mess of a cover. Wretched.