I visited the library and a couple of local bookshops and looked at the titles available. The covers I found (Penguin) were drab and uninspiring. I then researched HG Wells' work in greater depth on the internet, using Amazon and Wikipedia for information of the novels written and their subject matter.
I felt that the social novels represented more of a challenge and were generally the worst represented. I decided to choose three novels that focused on aspiration: Kipps, Tono-Bungay and The Wheels of Chance.
Kipps is about a draper who discovers that he is related to a wealthy old gentleman. He inherits his fortune and, thrown into upper class life, struggles to learn the rules of etiquette. I focused on Kipps' original position as a draper and images of upper class society and felt that juxtaposing these images could yield some interesting results.
The first idea, and still my favourite, is a cover made up of a piece of draper's fabric. It is a dull, everyday colour (brown?), reflecting Kipps' life at the beginning of the novel. Cut into the fabric are the letters of the novel and author - and behind the fabric is a shimmering gold which reflects the wealth he is about to discover. On the fabric are various silver objects, including a spoon, a napkin holder, a pair of scissors and a plate/platter embossed with the publisher's name and logo. The spine continues this theme with a roll of fabric. Woven into the pattern of the fabric is the name of the novel, the author's name, and the publisher's logo and name.
The second idea develops this theme. Kipp stands behind a counter in a top hat and tails with a roll of fabric bearing the details of the novel. In a slightly different version the details of the novel are displayed on an old style till. I do not feel this meets the brief's aim to provide an image of timeless fiction. The look is too dated.
One alternative on the spine that resulted from some mind mapping was of a silver spoon. In the head of the spoon is reflected the word 'Kipps'. Along the stem (?) is the name of the author. At the tip is the publisher logo and name. I prefer this to the original idea, perhaps because it has a stronger link to events in the novel.
Tono-Bungay is about a harmful stimulant that is promoted as a cure for all ills. The main protagonist is a science student drafted in by his uncle to help promote it. Their initial success results in a rise in social status and riches beyond his expectations.
I mind-mapped and the most interesting idea to come out of it was that of the pill box. When drawing it, it continued to seem a bit lifeless. I added a hand thrusting the pills out at the customer and immediately went with this idea. The book and author name on the pills was the easiest choice to make and I decided to have some fun and put the publisher logo on one of the pills. It was important that the 'scam' aspect was represented so I made sure the arm of the 'thruster' was suited and his hand was heavily ringed with cheap jewellery. I also added a sticker along the bottom of the pills saying '30 mins per day will relieve symptoms of stress and dumbing-down', which I think added to the contemporary feel.
I then decided to explore a much simpler image: a group of scattered pills, each bearing a letter that spells out the name of the novel and author. I liked the simplicity of the idea although felt it lacked something. I added a palm in the background holding the pills and I think this adds warmth whilst retaining simplicity.
I had two ideas for the spine, both pill-related. The first (above) takes a classic two-tone lozenge pill and divides it into book title and author name. I like the playful simplicity of this image. The other spelt out the name in a similar way to the cover shown directly above. It does not really offer anything new and I would certainly opt for the spine shown above.
The Wheels of Chance is about the rise of the bicycle and how it gave people - particularly the middle and working classes - freedom, weakening the rigidity of the class structures. In the novel the hero is a draper's assistant who sets out on a cycling tour for his annual holiday. The hero is awkward and is constantly just about keeping his bicycle under control. Wells used real place names and the entire route can be followed on a map.
In keeping with the first two designs I retained the idea of representing the events of the novel on the cover through objects. This was vital if I was to keep to the brief of keeping the three novels as a set in both theme and imagery. Mind-mapping the key words produced many ideas, foremost of which were maps, bells, pumps, bells and clips. Once I knew the route followed in the book could be mapped out, I thought a map with the route marked on would make an excellent background. I sketched the bell and decided this would be an ideal place to put the author's name. I placed a pump across the bottom of the cover and placed the title along this. Because he is quite a hapless character I tried to reflect this in the creases and oil stains on the map.
I then decided to take the map idea to the extreme and sketched an Ordnance Survey-style map with the novel's details in the style of village wording next to villages on the map. I placed the publisher's logo at the top of an imaginary hill of contour lines and put quotes about the novel next to small buildings and landmarks. Although this was at the extreme of the ideas it is the cover idea I like the most.
I then thought it would be fun to veer off in another direction and use the bicycle as my focal point. My first idea tied into the clumsiness of the main character and had a buckled bike wheel spinning on a wet, muddy background. The heel of a foot print in the top left hand corner leaves the name of the author. In the lower right of the cover a puddle contains the title. These two points are divided by skid marks in the mud. I terms of layout, for me this idea produced the strongest result.
I decided to take this ideas to the extreme as well, resulting in the image below - a wheel with the tyres bearing the name of the novel and author, and the publisher's logo sitting at the centre of the wheel. It is a very simple image and would be a good companion piece to the Tono-Bungay 'tablets in the palm' cover.
I struggled with a spine idea for this novel and found it difficult to get my original idea of a bicycle pump out of my head. If I was submitting these pieces for assessment I would avoid using this idea with my first cover to avoid repetition of idea, and would probably go with the third cover as this most strongly represents the spirit of the book and works best as part of the overall set.
Overall this project has been very useful as it has taught me the importance of taking a range of creative directions and utilising ideas created by mind maps and lateral thinking. It has also been interesting taking ideas to extremes - not just because of where they take you, but where they lead you back to.
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