Les Misérables Book Cover Redesign
Brief
Another school project completed in April 2023 was a redesign the cover from a classic novel. We were to create three unique covers focusing on aspects of the book using different design techniques. Additionally, we were to work to find deeper meanings within the book, rather than the traditionally popular themes.
One of my favorite books that was on our list was Les Misérables. After some additional research into the themes of the book, I found several that could be explored for covers. I especially liked Hugo’s use of birds to describe some characters and I wanted to include that motif.
Physical & Digital Sketches
My initial sketches were rough, but I had ideas about where I wanted to go with each one. Once I had sketched out some thoughts I moved on to playing with digital sketches. There were several iterations as I tweaked and refined each cover.
Final Designs
For this first cover, I found two quotes about Cossette by Hugo. In the first one, he describes her as a Lark. I found it interesting that a Lark can’t fully sing until it flies. Then, at another point, Hugo says, “Cosette was not very timid by nature. There flowed in her veins some of the bohemian and the adventuress who runs barefoot. It will be remembered that she was more of a lark than a dove. There was a foundation of wildness and bravery in her.” I used elements from my garden to create the border as well as the bird. I took macro shots of some of the flowers then used them as background for the letters of the font of the title and the author’s name.
This cover is more traditional and reflects the soldiers at the barricade. They have a vision; a reason they feel they need to go to battle. I needed to create the barricade for this cover and used Photoshop to build it then layered it with the scene behind it. Then I created the double exposure using layer masks.
For my typographic cover, I wanted to represent the theme of transformational change that permeates the book, particularly that of Jean Val Jean’s. He begins as a prisoner, a thief, believing that is all he will ever be. He is one of the, “Les Misérables.” Mercy and Love lead to change and hope. In my initial efforts for this cover, I felt my message was getting lost. So, I changed directions completely. I feel the collage captured my intent much more completely.
This project really helped me stretch. I appreciated the critiques I received. They were insightful and helped me improve my designs in my efforts to capture the themes related Les Misérables.