Written by James Joyce in the early 1900s Ulysses is a book about jealousy, love, sex and the problems it entails. We used these common themes in the novel and enhanced them by combining them with Irish tradition and culture surrounded by the novel as well as it's author. We photographed an aphrodisiac (the oyster) for its known food connotations and it's vaginal looking form. We added a drop of Irish jade green to emphasise the novels Irish roots. The book was banned for being too sexual for it's time. 

Bret Easton Ellis’ American Psycho. This book cover was designed to represent the main character in the book Patrick Bateman, who appears to be your average wall street business man, although behind this front he is a psychopath. Our book jacket reflects this idea as it presents a white shirt carrying around a metaphor for an alter ego in the shirt pocket which reflects the psychopathic traits and characteristics of Patrick Bateman. 

Vladimir Nobokov’s, Lolita is a book about a man, Humbert who falls in love with a young girl named Lolita, the novel was banned due to this taboo subject. We dissected lilies (a flower that represents death and also for its phallic form) and through manipulation, used them as a metaphor for Lolita and Humbert, the petal symbolises the innocence of Lolita and the stem represents the awe and phallic presence of Humbert, the petal occupies more space than the stem as it controls the space like Lolita controls Humbert. We wanted to subvert innocent, delicate and beautiful objects to be seen as something sexual alike Lolita and Humbert, we also used the pollen to create markings that looked like blood/cum/sweat, further themes of the novel.

Written by William S Burroughs, The Naked Lunch is a book about addiction and hallucinations based on a character named William Lee. To convey the novels themes and narrative our book jacket is based on hallucination, travel and the effect drugs have giving the reader greater understanding into the themes within the novel. We created hallucinogenic styled imagery and typography and used the pill bug to reflect the metaphor of the main character as a bug and also for its reference to drugs.