1984
Book Design
Identity Redesign
2024
BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU. George Orwell’s 1984 is a chilling vision of a future suffocating with surveillance, control, and oppression. The challenge was to redesign this book wrap, title page, and chapter break page in a way that captures the novel’s dystopian atmosphere and totalitarian themes.
Because 1984 has such a strong legacy in the literary world, my goal was not just to design something aesthetically pleasing, but to respect the tone and message of the novel while offering my own unique visual perspective.
The design combines modern, digital aesthetics with the novel’s themes of manipulation and loss of identity, inviting the viewer into Orwell’s unsettling world.
I illustrated futuristic eyeball cameras as the central imagery to represent the constant surveillance in 1984, paired with stretched, narrow typography to evoke a sense of disorientation and controlled reality. The stark red and black color palette underscores the oppressive atmosphere of the novel, highlighting the tension between authority and individuality.
While aiming to maintain the tone of the novel, I learned how typography, color, and imagery could reinforce its themes of control and surveillance. This project deepened my appreciation of how design elements can compliment visuals. The eye, a recurring symbol in many 1984 covers, became a central element in my design. I approached it with a fresh perspective, using it as a visual anchor to communicate the novel’s atmosphere in a unique and compelling way.
