Studio Brief 1 - Clockwork Orange - Final Book Cover

The final Book cover for A Clockwork Orange expresses a dynamic approach, focusing on the subject of free will. In the book Alex's is arrested where he then agrees to be experimented on by the state. The state then performs experiments on Alex where he then loses his free will to control his actions. This by far was the main aspect of the story that I felt was most important throughout the book. The image on the front cover is off a Lego figure being wind up. The Lego figure is to represent Alex and the wind up mechanism is to communicate the governments control over him. As many people who know what wind up toys are, they are a toy in which you have full control over. The hands winding the toy represents the government. Showing the hands in a large scale compared to the Lego figure is meant to communicate how much society is controlled by the government, such a big Establishment that controls a lot of society.

The typeface communicates structure, a slab typeface created in an isometric grid working it's way down in a similar style to what i would call some kind of textris movement. It showcases a rigid, non flexible grid. This relates back to the control of the government and the controlled environment in which the establishments controls you on a subconscious level. The positioning of the type extends all the way from the top to the bottom almost suggesting the type has full control over the image, again linking in with the idea of control. 

The colour of the type links in with the title of the book but also contrasts well with the black & white image, making the type stand out to the audience. The overall style the design communicates is that of a 1970's style, relating back to the year the book was published. The style has somewhat elements of a 1970's style but with also a contemporary feel. The white and orange gradient along with the vintage looking image is an aesthetic in which was popular in the 1970's. The layout of the book is very much bringing the book back into the contemporary realm of design. In terms of grid layout the one column grid for the front cover gave the book the opportunity to showcase all of the elements at equal exposure, with everything centre aligned nothing is hidden. There weren't a lot of elements that needed to be on the front cover, therefore i could spread everything out to maximise all design components on the front cover. The back cover has been left aligned to give it a modern and simplistic look. The front cover is very much in your face, so by contrasting this with a modernist layout it gives a rest from the front and this goes for the the spine also.

Lastly, the use of Apercu for the body font has been used to bring the book back into a modern realm of graphic design. Even though I wanted the book to link back to it's original roots, I still want the book to attract to a younger demographic and using a san-serif front keeps the modern aspect rooted.