Dystopic Book Covers

The books chosen for this project all contain themes of collectivism vs individuality, conformity, war, propaganda, fear and oppression, and more. These designs illustrate the gritty, terrifying atmosphere of each book through a common theme.

The main characters of these books live their lives in fear and oppression by their governments, struggling to break free. In each book, an animal is used both as a metaphorical device as a means of personifying the government and as a literal device to keep the main character in line: the rats in 1984, the beasts in the woods in Anthem, and the mechanical hound in Fahrenheit 451. All are terrifying creatures in their own right, and the illustrations reflect the fear that these characters would have felt. The blocky, hand-drawn typography pairs with the illustrations, creating a cohesive layout. The gritty texture on the books reflects the gritty atmosphere in the stories. Each of the animals can also be seen with an item: this item was important to each main character in their respective story as it symbolized hope, which is actively being crushed or hidden away by their government. The back features propaganda / slogans found in each book in which the main character internally struggles with believing.