(Fictional)
The Library of Congress is doing an exhibit to celebrate classical literature. They reached out and requested that I create a special cover for JRR Tolkien's “The Hobbit.” The request is for three covers, one using strictly font design, one design from a physical medium, and the other using any medium of my choosing. The emphasis should be on the book; no text beside the book title and author are allowed on the cover.

When I started thinking of what to do with the font based cover there are two things that stood out to me. As I researched different covers the actual map and the ring were never features. Both of these are things which are common themes in covers for the series which follows the hobbit. I decided that I wanted to use one of these for the cover. my initial idea was to do the text for the alternate title of the book, There and Back Again, to create a ring of text.

This did not work well with readability, so I changed my focus towards the map. I decided to include the official title of the book and then having the secondary title as points on the map with red going between them. This is in reference to the way Bilbo marks hi own map with a red pen of all the places he has visited. This is the final product. 

Physical Cover

When I received the request for a cover of the Hobbit made using physical, I knew what medium I wanted to use right away. It would not be a exaggeration to say that the Hobbit was the start of the Fantasy Genre as we know it today. To many people it is prototype for how many forms of fiction are written.

Out of respect for this I wanted to create a classical leather cover for it. My initial plan was to use oils to draw over the leather in a art style similar to what Tolkien himself used to draw in. Many of the original covers were inspired by his own art work after all.

I quickly ran into problems with this as before I could even begin drawing, I realized I was unable to create the title of the book in a font that was attractive. I changed directions at that point and started to work on using leather engraving to create the cover. After going through a series of trial and error this is the final result. 

Personal Concept

When I looked at both the old and recent covers for The Hobbit, what stood out was how often the door of Bilbo's home was used repeatedly. It is such a distinctive piece of décor, that looks so familiar and yet at the same time looks so foreign due to its shape. It seems to be one of the most important features that is described in the book. 

I wanted to find some way to highlight the door within the cover. I considered doing a drawn image of the door looking from inside of the home to the outside world. I also was fortunate enough to be able to go to Evermore Park in Orem Utah, where they actually have a hobbit style home.

As I looked at it I realized that looking at a hobbit home from the outside is exactly what I was looking for. It is that mixture of comfortable that a hobbit home represents, yet it looks so out of place and fantastical to someone from our world. The fact that the door coincidentally also looks like an O worked in my favor. This is the result.