WIA2024 – Longlist Category Highlights: Book Covers
Illustration is an integral part of designing captivating book covers. That not only grab our initial attention but secure a lasting sense of nostalgia for our most beloved stories.
This year our Book Cover category is sponsored by none other then London Book Fair. The UK’s No.1 book fair defining the future of creative content.
With such a diverse range of books in this year’s category, these ilustrators showcases the power of story telling through book covers.
For our final Longlist Category Highlight, We’ve put together a beautiful curated selection of Book covers that celebrate judging a book by it’s cover!
Mariia Zakutaieva – The Garden of Eden
New Talent
Kicking things off with New Talent. This beautiful cover showcases a gestural use of digital techniques to create a painterly effect.
These loose and organic brush strokes reflect the novels emotional story and setting within nature.
We love the striking use of composition as if the elephant is staring directly at the viewer, creating a feeling of intimacy.
Lillian Li – Mythology of Greece and Rome
New Talent
Playing with dust jacket and endpaper composition, this cover has a playful tactile feel.
Inspired by the ancient Greek vase ‘Amphora’. When opened the reader is transported both inside the ancient vase and this mythological world.
The limited and warm colour palette has a historic feel whilst still remaining playful to the younger audience.
Lillian Li is an illustrator based in Beijing.
Chantal Lieu – Circus Girl, The Hunter, and Mirror Boy
New Talent
This cover, plays with reflections to capture a sense of drama and adventure.
The moody dark greens create a somber feel, whilst a contrasted red highlights our main character.
Whilst the cover showcases a great deal of illustrative detail, the striking use of negative space framing this creates a bold and eye-catching cover.
Carla Manea – Sarò la tua memoria, I’ll be your memory
Professional
This beautiful illustration details how memory can be kept alive through story and sharing memories from the authors grandmother.
The soft sketchy details on the hand, appear almost as etchings despite being created digitally. Showcasing both a painful and heroic life lived.
Subtle Illustrations on the hand include the depiction of Auschwitz. Whist the figures walk directly away from this past, showcasing it’s lasting impact.
Carla Manea is an Illustrator based in Italy.
Kïa Hing Fay / Paperhang – Cabin
Professional
This bold illustration uses scale and vibrant colour to highlight the immersive feeling of a wilderness retreat.
The single tiny cabin is engulfed by vast greenery. Upon closer inspection showing outdoor elements that create a beautiful pattern.
The tactical design was created using a collection of hand cut paper shapes.
Coralie Bickford-Smith – Little Clothbound Classics
Professional
Commissioned by Penguin classics. These charming covers capture the diverse moods of each beloved classic.
Illustrating a series of carefully designed icons for each novel, each cover is ornately decorated with these motifs creating beautiful patterns.
Each motif acts as a clue to the story creating intriguing out of the box designs for each book.
Coralie Bickford-Smith is a London based designer.
That brings us to the end of our WIA2024 Longlist Highlights. If you’ve enjoyed reading this curated list, be sure to check out the full WIA2024 Longlist.
Keep your eyes peeled for more info on our Shortlist, coming soon! Stay up to date with the latest news on the World Illustration Awards by signing up to our mailing list!
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