Studio Brief 01 - Responsive - Small Brief's - Penguin Books

Penguin Books 

When it came to choosing a smaller briefs for this module the two smaller briefs that stood out to me and look the most rewarding are Penguin Books and Secret 7" both very similar but also very diverse in their own right. The length of the brief will help me to demonstrate my ability to work in an efficient and effective way like I would want to at industry level. The Penguin Random House Student Design Award is an opportunity for students interested in pursuing a career in design to experience real cover design briefs first-hand. 

I have looked over the brief and pulled some valuable information that I will need to help me complete the brief to a competitive standard. 

The brief - 

To design a new and classic cover for this book. The trick here will be to come at it from a fresh perspective and to avoid repeating the obvious iconography from the many previous editions in print. If you can get your hands on a copy of the book in order to get a sense of the beautiful writing, this will only help to inspire your design. The cover should feel timeless and confident, and appeal to a whole new generation of readers.

The cover design needs to include all the cover copy supplied and be designed to the specified design template – B format, 198mm high x 129mm wide, spine width 20 mm, incorporating the ARROW branding and all additional elements such as the barcode.

A winning submission - 

They're looking for a striking cover design that is well executed, has an imaginative concept and clearly places the book for its market. While all elements of the jacket need to work together as a cohesive whole, remember that the front cover must be effective on its own and be eye-catching within a crowded bookshop setting. It also needs to be able to work on screen for digital retailers such as Amazon.

• have an imaginative concept and original interpretation of the brief
• be competently executed with strong use of typography
• appeal to a contemporary readership
• show a good understanding of the marketplace
• have a point of difference from the many other book covers it is competing against

Brief interpretation - 

After looking at what penguin would like to see from a winning submission it is clear that the standard is very high. This is also shown through the previous winners, by looking at what has won the competition before it more obvious to me of how I should approach this brief. Using research and knowledge of the book I will have to find a unique way to communicate the themes and emotions into a front cover. For me this brief is not about winning it will be about showing that I can compete with other designers from around the UK and I hope to gain some valuable design experience from this. 

Deadline For Entries -

Entries will be accepted through the website between 00:01 (GMT) on Wednesday, 18 January 2017 and 12:00 (GMT) on Tuesday, 7 March 2017.

Eligibility -
To be eligible for the 2017 competition, you must be a student on a Further Education or Higher Education course (part time or full time) in any subject and at any level. Entrants must be aged 18 or over by 1 July 2017. The competition is open to amateur designers not currently or previously employed in the graphic design field.

Designs -
Entrants may submit one design into each of the following categories: (i) the Adult Fiction Cover Award; (ii) the Adult Non-Fiction Cover Award; (iii) the Children’s Cover Award. You may not submit more than one design for each category.

Submissions -
All entries must be supplied digitally via the link which will be available on this site from Wednesday, 18 January 2017. Entries submitted in any other way, including by email or hard copy, will not be accepted.

Entries must be supplied as a high-resolution PDF, 300 dpi, CMYK.