Introduction
The novel by Haruki Murakami in 2002 is one of the world's top seller books—the original design that was published in Japan features a beautiful and minimalistic visual approach, but I wanted to try adding a bit more twist using my own illustrations.
Bunko-Bon(文庫本)
Bunko or bunko-bon is the widely used Japanese term for a book that is a small-format paperback book designed to be affordable, portable and not take up too much shelf space. The standard size of the bunko is A6 (4.25 x 6 "). The format has a long and interesting history going back to books designed to fit into the sleeves of kimonos in Japan’s Edo Period (1603-1868).
Mock-ups (outside cover)
Mock-ups (inside cover)
The original version uses beige-coloured paper for the inside covers, I used the same colour but added some patterns related to the story.
Inside Spreads layout
I designed it in both English and Japanese. Both versions follow the basic layout for novels in each region, but I added some of my illustrations to encourage readers to visualize the story's world.
Inside spread mockups
Reference images (this is a cat in my neighbour's)
#harukimurakami, #bookcoverdesign, #kafkaontheshore, #illustrator, #vecrorart