I know that there are a lot of different editions of this book with different covers. But, as a comparison, I picked the one that my copy of this book has. The Book Thief is one of my favorite novels of all time. My first readthrough experience was so perfect, I’m kinda scared to re-read it. So, redesigning the cover kind of scared me! I by no means thought this cover was bad. I just thought that it could maybe use a refresh for more contemporary audiences.
One thing that I think that the original cover does really well is that it matches the overall tone of the novel. This isn’t a lighthearted read…. at all. I was kind of worried that my re-design wouldn’t capture the overall tone, but I wanted to make something that was completely different from the original. So, I went with a really vibrant color palate that I hope still feels a bit ominous while making it a bit more eye-catching.
The one thing that I did not like about the original cover is the picture. I know that dominos are referenced in the story. But, to me it wasn’t a super memorable part of the story. Though I admit it has been a very, very long time since I’ve read it, I had to look up to see if dominos were even a part of the story. Death being the narrator, the book stealing and burning, and the incredibly sad ending are the things that really stuck with me. So, I turned the book burning bit into the cover. All in all, I like the way that this one turned out visually, I just don’t know if it does the book justice.
Dinosaurs and Blueberries 