One day I came across my high school copy of "Hamlet" by William Shakespeare. The margins were littered with dramatic, easily digestible notes. I'll save myself the embarrassment and not show you those.Rediscovering this play has given me an opportunity to reflect on the impact literature has had on my life and explore my passion for book design.
This passion project of mine allowed me to create a series of Shakespeare's books. These three cover designs are intended for a collector series of Shakespeare editions.
The use of flowers are symbolic to the texts and represent a common theme of Shakespeare's work of examining the delicate balance of life. The wide range of wild flowers allude to English gardens and the vast amount of character's within Shakespeare's major works.
Endpapers for 'Hamlet'
This project has allowed me to dive into research, design, and specific details when constructing a book cover mechanical. The following image shows some of preliminary ideation, brainstorming, and sketches for Hamlet. This process eventually led to the direction of the complete project.
This project wouldn't have been possible without the insightful feedback and continued support from my mentor, Catherine Casalino. I'm so grateful to have been given the opportunity to work with her through the Alphabettes' Mentorship Program.