INDIGNATION

author:
PHILIP ROTH

Covers
Houghton Mifflin

It’s been a while since I’ve seen a book cover so brazenly minimal. Usually a cover contains at least one clue as to what’s in store. So, unless your’e a professor at Pratt or have a PhD in color theory, the only thing you’ll need to know is that Philip Roth is the author. And that’s why this approach is brilliant.

What most strikes me is the color choices and how these two fields of vibrating colors diagonally bifurcate the frame. Centered on the dividing line is the book’s title, which bleeds off the corners and is set in a bold, modern sans serif type. The only thing to offset the symmetry of the layout is the author’s name, and I commend the designer for not making it larger than the title (a terrible practice used as a crutch by publishers who value commerce over craft). However, there is a clear intent to ensure “ROTH” stands out, hence the use of the Rockwell-esque slab serif type. Therein lies my only complaint. Had the design adhered to the modernist principles it strives to emulate, I would imagine the author’s name would be set in a uniform sans serif typeface instead of the mix and match.

Overall this cover is damn airtight. When I first saw it I was looking closely at the image for telltale creases of heavy usage–I thought, This is probably a scan of an old book; no way this book is new. It’s nice to see a book-cover design distilled to just typographic elements and a few colors, and it’s nice to know that publishers are brave enough to approve them. Now if only the folks behind the latest round of Philip K. Dick reissues would take a page from this school of thought.

purchase at IndieBound