Book Covers in High School Digital Art

My high school students have been learning about jobs that are available to graphic designers, as well as Design trends.  We talk about what a designers has to do in order to complete a commission or an order and the importance of following directions, and how that will effect the approval of potential clients. 

This assignment is very open ended all the have to do is make sure that they are creating a book cover that is at least the measurements below.

 

The student get to choose there own book or make one up, and they are supposed to make a cover for it. 

Assignment:

- choose or make up a book 

- using a design trend example create cover that visually matches the story inside

- the book must have a back cover that is either part of the illustration, a synopsis, or critical review of the book 

- the book must have a binging with the title and authors name on it 

- the book must show visual consistency across both covers 

- must fill the size limitations 

A lot of the students decided to make up their own book cover, and the best part about this assignment was by far the critique. I never realized the amazing stories going on in this group of students heads. By the end of the class period I was just so sad these books didn't exist in real life because of the amazing stories the kids described. 

Our critique conversation starters:

- Describe how your book cover relates to the story of your book? 

- What design trend did you use, and did it help illustrate your story?

As far as lessons goes the results of this one get a 10 out of 10. I hope this was sign that we tapped into some sort of well of creativity, and that it shows good news for the rest of the projects this year. 

Here are a few student examples and the top three I have written in what story the students came up with for their cover. 

This made up book is about a girl who goes into a coma, and while she is under her family tells her all these secrets. When she wakes up, some how she has been able to remember everything they told her and now she has to find out what was true. 

I would highly suggest reading the back of this book jacket!

This was book this student decided should have been written by James Patterson, and it is about a girl who falls into the ocean in an accident and loses all her memory, and only when she goes back to the sea does she remember her life, but as she regains her memory she doesn't really like what she finds.