On the Art of Cover Design

Today. Book design has made great progress. There are numerous books, different styles, and a large number of people. The significant increase in the value of book design in a book has become the second cultural subject of the book.

The importance of book design has been recognized by the public

Author's approval is particularly important. The well-known writer Feng Xiaocai has a noble position in book design: “A book framing house is not just a book package. They are engaged in an independent and noble art. The best among them are regarded as holy and obsessed with the framing art. It will be created again and again without interruption, and it will be like the essence of any serious art: to use beauty to sublimate life.” Su Tong, a young writer, wrote in his book: “Building books and making joint ventures.” Raising the design to the side of the manuscript . The work is a “child of spirit” bred by the writer and designer. The writer completes his content (soul), and the designer gives him the form (face). For his own work, he has a good appearance, and some writers prefer to choose without payment. High-quality publishing houses; some writers give up national-level publishing houses and go to local publishing houses; more writers hire talented designers to design. This has almost formed a kind of fashion: book design has become one of the important signs of the value of a book, and is a symbol of the author's identity.

Publishers also attach great importance to cover design. Large and small book subscriptions often become the cover of the competition, especially books of the same type of subjects. Many booksellers have not seen the content of the book, only to see the cover to decide the number. A senior publishing worker said: "The cover is the lifeline of the book distribution."

Reader's attention to book design is the most fundamental and most important. A reader wrote in the Wenhui Reading Weekly article: "Seriously, most of Su Tong's works have been read. Whether or not his anthology is to be purchased needs to be considered. However, such outstanding and moving attire has caught off immediately. I lived and made me wonder and enjoy.” It is the love of a large number of aesthetic consumers that has increased the value and status of the design.

The public opinion circles have also shown unprecedented importance to book design. In recent years, the introduction of television and book design art and designers has increased significantly compared to the past. The value of designing in a book has also been affirmed. A newspaper in Jiangsu believes that Su Tong The Collected Works (Jiangsu Art Version) won the “Best National Best-selling Book Award” “It is not unrelated to the binding design of this book.” Perhaps the literary critic Wang Gan’s words are more intriguing. He said at a conference that readers are reading books now. The magazine does not only look at the content, but also looks at the cover illustrations and looks at the layout design...Design has become an important target for “cultural consumption”.

The recognition of design values ​​by authors, publishers, readers, and opinion circles has led us to believe that the proposition that book design as the second cultural subject of the book can be improved.

The Essence of "Second Cultural Subject" Is the Main Body Beauty of Book Design

The reason why book design can become a "cultural subject" is that it itself has aesthetic value that is worthy of readers' appreciation. In other words, the essence of "second cultural subject" is the essence of book design.

The beauty of the design should be divided into two parts: First, the beauty of creative ideas, and the first is the beauty of visual creativity. The beauty of conception and creativity is based on the unique understanding of the manuscript, the unique perspective, the selection of unique image objects, and the ingenious conception of handling the spiritual connotation of flying performance manuscripts. Mr. Lu Xun proposed the “corpse and the grave” for the design of the “grave”. The meaning of `no matter what the decoration is like.' Mr. himself designed the title page with owls and other graphics. This symbolizes the deep meaning of the Lord: Lu Xun likes the owl, and uses the ugly owl of the "Gentleman" to describe himself. Designing the “Grave” without drawing graves and painting owls reflects Lu Xun’s unwillingness to transform the design into a simple illustration. Instead, it gives a new and very appropriate, ingenious and highly metaphorical design that embodies the concept of design. beauty of. This is a kind of beauty rich in literary implication.

The beauty of the design is reflected more fully in the beauty of visual creativity. Designing the value of beauty itself can make it an independent aesthetic object. At the same time, it also strengthened the status of design as the second cultural subject.

Mr. Lu Jingren designed the "black and white", not only the design of the original back cover unique and unique, the text design is also very characteristic; kangaroo jumping in each page, the geographical characteristics of a very clear; and black and white pattern of the border is extremely characteristic. The theme of the cultural conflict between Australian indigenous blacks and white settlers. Black and white pattern borders cause the three sides of the incision to also appear black and white patterns, which makes the new pattern and the book's connotation is very fitting and unified, giving people a great visual impact and aesthetic enjoyment. The charm of design beauty has made books even more impressive and has been greatly welcomed by readers, which fully shows the status of design as a cultural subject.

The promotion of book design as the second cultural subject of the book is the inevitable development of art

Any art is initially accompanied by practicality. Driven by people’s love for nature, both producers and users hope to make it look better. Gradually, when they enter the stage of more universal and conscious pursuit of the beauty of the art, its aesthetic function becomes stronger and stronger. The proportion has become larger and larger, becoming the main body of culture, and some have also become independent artistic crystals. Examples of art history abound. For example, calligraphy. Originally used as a practical expression, such as Oracle's account of (a) the matter, Jin Wen's praise of the ancestors, etc., after generations of evolution and development, the book lovers of successive generations have been constantly adding "mysticism" (that is, the beauty of calligraphy), and its artistic appreciation function. More and more attention has been paid to becoming the main body of culture, but the utility function has been weakened, eventually forming an independent calligraphy art. Another example is clothing, the practical function of beginning to protect the body from the cold gradually weakened, and the design of the United States (style, material, color, patterns, etc.) is becoming stronger and stronger, becoming the "dress art." Since its development, designer clothes have become a symbol of status. Architectural arts, furniture arts, etc. are all exceptional.

The art historian Grosse’s metaphor is very interesting. “Decoration has only a minor artistic character in the early stages of development. The pleasing form is only attached to the actual important state, just like a tendril of tangle sticks to the big branches. However, the dense green leaves and flowers of Fujiko were later concealed.... At the same time, the secondary decorations gradually lost their original meaning and developed into a purely beautiful form.”

The same goes for book design. The initial cover was mainly used to protect the book block and identify books, focusing on practicality. Although it was also aesthetic, it was weak and minor. With the development of the times and the improvement of the level of civilization, after many generations of designers' efforts, their aesthetic functions expanded and sublimated, and their practical functions weakened, gradually becoming the second cultural subject for readers to admire.

"The beauty of beauty is the nature of mankind. It is practical and intriguing to the United States. It is the inevitable flow of history." This is a law.

The book design is different from the general packaging. It is the "image" of the book. It is not discarded like the general practical crystal packaging. Book design can not be thrown away, there is no book without design. The book as a whole, the content of the manuscript is the most important cultural subject, so it is called the first cultural subject, and the book design becomes the second cultural subject. The book design originally served the manuscript, and the designer served the author. In the past, book framing was often sighed as "wedding for others." In fact, the book design is also "wedding for ourselves." As long as your design has enough aesthetic content, it is worthy of readers to admire, and design can naturally become a cultural subject that is appreciated. Designers also show their value in the design. For example, Rodin showed Balzac as a statue, but also expressed himself by Rodin. Mr. Zhang Shouyi once said. The framing artist is “acting on the same stage as the writer” and has put the design in the position of the second cultural subject.

Source: Chinese Binding Author: Super Thai-hee