For this project, we were tasked with redesigning a classic book in a conceptual way that conveys the author's message effectively. Using one of the six creative strategies, we were to create three different designs. This included: one typographical, one handmade, and one of my choosing. The book I chose to design is Hamlet by William Shakespeare. I have always loved his work but had not read this specific play beforehand. So, I looked forward to learning this story along with completing this project. 

For those of you who have not read Hamlet, it is one of many famous works written by William Shakespeare. It features the main character Hamlet who has to face an event that completely shakes up his life as he knows it. His father, the king of Denmark, had just died. However, he came to Hamlet as a ghost telling his son to avenge his death. As it turns out, it is Hamlet's very own uncle that killed his father, married his mother, and took over the Danish throne. Now it is up to Hamlet to strike justice and confront his uncle about his wrongdoings. 

First is the Typographic Cover. I had many ideas when it came to this design but overall, I wanted to make sure it was simple. The type is the main focus of this cover but it needed to be elevated. I also needed to make sure it conveyed the message of the play somehow within it. I went to work brainstorming, and taking apart each letter. I thought it would be a cool idea to transform one of the letters into a motif from the story. So, I combined a crown with the letter E when I noticed the points would match up perfectly. This decision showcases the combination creative strategy, by putting two objects together that don't normally go together. 

After that, I added some texturing to the letters because they seemed a bit flat. However, it still looked too simple. So for a bit more color, I decided to add blood dripping from the crown onto Shakespeare's name. This ended up conveying the message of the story much deeper than just a simple crown. Hamlet is a story of corruption and death. Becoming king, is a poisonous position, and this crown showcases that. Hamlet's uncle stole the blood of one king to form his crown, but ends up facing a crown of death in the end. 

Next, is the cover of my choice. I spent quite a bit of time brainstorming, when coming up with this cover. To make this task less daunting, I focused on finding the symbols or motifs throughout Hamlet that I could depict on the front. I knew that I wanted to showcase the skull since it is so famous, but I didn't want my design to be basic. The skull is a very common and popular symbol to use. The creative strategies I learned in class were really helpful when deciding how to elevate a simple skull. I wanted to combine it with something else, so I took a look at the other symbols within the book. I decided to use Ophelia's flowers, because I loved the juxtaposition of beautiful and delicate flowers depicting a face of death. Originally, I wanted the actual skull to be made of flowers, but I thought the use of negative space would convey a more powerful message. Hamlet is all about the hidden and what is found underneath the corruption. These flowers reveal the truth that Hamlet has to face. 

Lastly, is the handmade cover. This part of the project was quite fun! I created this jester completely out of paper that I glued together. I then, placed him on paper that looked weathered and old. This fit the vibe of Hamlet to me, because it has been around for hundreds of years. Jesters are typically bright and cheerful, so I wanted to use lots of color in this design. However, there is still plenty of symbolism within this cover. There is a big theme of performance within Hamlet, and the performers are important characters. Hamlet uses them to expose his uncle of his wrongdoings. The entirety of Hamlet's path going forward is almost like a performance of itself as well. He must put on an act to deceive his uncle and exact his vengeance. It's like a game, which is why I thought it would be really interesting to combine this cover with a playing card. The Jester's face even holds a symbol within it as well. It's a skull, foreshadowing the events of the story. This cover overall, shows the creative strategy of combination. The book itself is combined with the appearance of a playing card.