Retro Book Cover

Now, I'll be honest, I'm not much of a reader. As a child, my favourite books were Where's Wally and Diary of a Wimpy Kid. But for some reason, I still love writing. I'm not really into fiction from books or films, I can't really suspend belief or keep my attention. When I do read, its something non-fiction like Marie Kondo's Magic of Tidying Up, one I read during the 2020 lockdown, of course.

Not that fiction doesn't interest me, I enjoyed the first few chapters of A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, but inevitably, I put it back on my shelf for it to be forgotten for a year or so.

In conclusion, this project didn't come too easy for me, inspiration wise.

I dusted off my books from my tiny book shelf to find something that inspired me. I found 'A Philosopher's Stone'. Although I love its illustrated cover, I got to thinking what it could look like with a retro refresh.

Current cover of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, illustrated by Johnny Duddle

Artist Research: Saul Bass

Saul Bass is an American graphic designer and filmmaker. His notable works include posters for 'The Man with the Golden Arm', 'Vertigo' and 'The Shining'. His work is iconic across the film horror genre, and many posters are still inspired by his style today.

Saul Bass, 'The Man with the Golden Arm', (1955)

Final Outcome

My final book cover design consists of the Gryfindoor house colours, with a Bass inspired typeface. His work and its simplistic block colours and shapes were the main inspiration for my design.

I was struggling to think what I should put as the main focus of the cover. I thought about Harry Potter, and which of his traits sprung to mind. After trying wands and lightning scars, they just didn't fit with the space. Then, I thought about his glasses. I used two letter O's, and the bar of a letter T, and duplicated it to add depth and shading with the maroon shadow, golden highlights, and black rim.

After some trial and error with placement on the book spine, I used varying orientations for letters. To add a realistic touch, I added the logo of the Harry Potter series' publisher, Bloomsbury, to the bottom of the spine.

And there you have it, a retro inspired Harry Potter book cover!