I chose the design the cover for 'Norwegian Wood' by Haruki Murakami for this years Penguin Student awards.

I wanted a simple and clean design to the book cover so after debating on layouts and the amount of illustrations to use I finally settled on this design.

The white chrysanthemum was my choice for my main illustration as, although it is not directly mentioned in the book, the flower holds the symbols of death and grief in Japan, which are two very prominent themes throughout the book.

The red circle is a direct reference the the Japanese flag and is found on both the front and back covers (in the exact same size) in order to create a balance in the cover.

The colour palette is limited to mainly red and green, due to the symbols that these colours have in Japanese culture. The red symbolises death and links to a Japanese superstition of "never write your name in red, as names of grave markers are red". The green symbolises youth, eternity and vitality in Japan. These colours contrast visually, but they also contrast in their meanings - yet it still works as all of these symbols are present within the novel.

The layout of the text and illustrations on the back cover have very direct purposes. The flowers on the right side of the back cover are full bloomed and alive, whereas the flowers on the left are falling and 'dying'. this represents the theme of 'life and death' that is present within this novel.
The reasoning behind the text placement that overlays the circle is similar. The text covers the left side of the circle, which helps to darken that side of the circle when compared to the other half. This subtle change in colours also works to emphasise the theme of 'life and death', so when this text is paired with the placement of the flowers this theme become more obvious and impactful.