Our work for Trinität got featured in Book Cover Design from East Asia.

Book Cover Design from East Asia.

When it comes to book cover art we see an equally careful aesthetic, often culminating on the shelf in a unified cultural voice. The covers, often austere in appearance, are confident in their use of restraint, with whitespace adorned with well considered marks of ink. Their colour is pared back. with one or two colours often the preference and their potography is artistic and subtle. In fact, the vast majority of covers held within this book fall under this careful aesthetic.

with bookstores diminishing in the west a rapid rate it is perhaps unsurprising as there will clearly be more competition for our attention on the shelf. this results in an ever escalating shouting match between covers.

However, the silver lining is that with the present digital revolution in our buying experience, the role of the cover is changing radically. It simply doesn’t need to shout anymore because the cover doesn’t serve the same purpose. Strangely, Book readers can thank Amazon for this newfound liberation. book covers now designers are less expected to promote the same kind of information hierarchy – image making is now trumping legibility and the need for simple, striking graphics is more imperative than ever when the book cover is condensed down to a thumbnail.

What these covers have in common, regardless of their region, is a shared serenity and balance that resonates beautifully with their simple, uncluttered and modern aesthetic.

The main idea of this book is to provide you with examples of some creative, expressive and appealing book covers from some of the most important East Asian designers working today.

by Jon Dowling (Counter Print)