design elements – Tobin Elias

Alvogen: Speaking Volumes with Simple Shapes

Alvogen, a global, privately owned pharmaceutical company, partnered with the Icelandic advertising agency, Kontor Reykjavík, and Israeli artist, Noma Bar, to create eye-catching posters for their over-the-counter medications. Due to strict advertising regulations, the ads were unable to state details of medications through text, so the designers focused on imagery. The expression of ailment, and subsequent relief, is flawlessly communicated on each poster through the use of recognizable shapes.

Godsend: The Privilege to Choose A Black Veil

Cover designed by Canongate Books Art Department

Godsend is the unconventional coming of age story that follows 18-year-old Californian, Aden Sawyer, as she takes her teenage rebellion to another level with a plan of studying Islam at a madrassa in Peshawar, Pakistan, disguised as a young man. John Wray explores how far Aden will take her religious dedication-and submission-as her journey for personal fulfillment takes her from Islam student to Islamist militant. The use of space on the cover of this novel expresses the way Aden can peer out of her disguise without allowing others to see what she is hiding. The black surrounding all but her eyes may also signify the side of her faith that she chooses to ignore; the practice of veiling women from the public eye. When equipped with the plot of the story, Godsend’s cover creates an impactful statement that is easily translated through the element of space.

Educated: A Design as Sharp as a Pencil

In the memoir titled Educated, Tara Westover recounts leaving her survivalist Mormon family in order to gain opportunities and broaden her understanding of the world through a college education. The novel cover’s graphic employs a clever use of size to portray a small figure, assumed to be Westover, hiking a mountain range within the shape of a pencil. What makes this image so effective is the idea that her freedom to explore and create would never have been possible without her schooling.

BlacKkKlansman: Bold Lines Are Crossed

This striking use of black and white lines comes from the movie poster for Spike Lee’s BlacKkKlansman (2018). The film follows the story of Ron Stallworth (John David Washington), the first African-American to be hired in the Colorado Springs Police Department, and his infiltration of the local Klu Klux Klan chapter. The central theme of racism is evident. White lines of the American flag, a flag that supposedly represents freedom and opportunity, is holding the lead actor back from the forefront. Due to the nature of his career, the lines can be read both as a representation of race, as well as the unjust treatment of the black community from law enforcement.