Book Cover Design & Photography
Marginal Man - Zero Degree Publishing
Overview
My goal for this book cover design project was to highlight the bold themes of nudity and raw descriptions of love in an Indian setting. This book was written in Tamil by an Indian author, Charu Nivedita. This book was originally written in Tamil and later on translated to English. This was a design for a book cover for the company 'Zero Degree Publishing'
Colors
I used a muted, warm palette of browns and beiges to evoke earthiness, stability, and introspection. Subtle contrasts and soft gradients highlight the title and author while maintaining a polished, minimalist look that reflects the book’s grounded, thoughtful themes.
#746040
#C4A34F
#02857C
#F0BE97
#A2745B
#FFFFFF
Photography
I chose to shoot my own stills for this project rather than use a stock image as I needed something that truly represents the raw, gritty feeling that this book evokes.
My model is a standard sized female saree mannequin.
The mannequin has a few perfectly placed scratches and paint chips which I chose to leave in during editing to signify imperfection.
Styling
My only 2 props were a 'pattu' (silk) scarf draped to look like a blouse-less saree and a gold chain strung haphazardly about the mannequin's neck.
Silk sarees are a common symbol of elegance and femininity in South India. Blouse-less sarees haven't been around in most cities since colonialism.
A gold chain called a 'thali' is traditionally worn by married women in India.
The idea here was to juxtapose elegance with brazen, raw sexuality.
Typography
I chose the serif font Perpetua for its delicate thin strokes and sharp corners, reflecting the story’s balance of subtle emotions and tense interactions. Using a high-contrast 'Augmented Fourths' scaling ratio of 1.444, I ensured impactful typography ideal for a book cover.
