This was a project in my Type and Image Design class where we were instructed to create seven variations of the same book cover, using only text and including a limited number of variables at a time. These were my favorite variations.

The leftmost cover was my third variation, in which I changed only one variable across all of the text: color. All of the text on the cover is the same size and weight and has the same line spacing. Considering gestalt principles, I used the text to create a shape that, while not an actual illustration, adds a similar visual interest,

The middle cover was my sixth variation, in which I changed the cover to a different language— Irish. We were still not allowed to use illustration in this cover, but I found a loophole— creating shapes with lines of text. I used the text to form clovers, a common symbol of luck.

For the final cover, we were allowed to use illustrations, so I painted myself in a green convertible using watercolor and masked it in Photoshop to layer it with the text. Inspired by some of the breakthroughs I had in the previous covers, I ended up using the text as a shape idea again.

This was a really interesting exploration of simplicity and creating hierarchy in simple forms. I wouldn’t have been able to come up with my idea for the final cover without each of the forms that came before it.

Below are a few more of the variations I explored.