INTERVIEW
From cover to cover
A series by Jakov Jakovljevic
Spotlighting five literary works, Jakov has created a series of elegant book cover designs that celebrate the evocative imagery across five different fiction genres.
Jakov has been working with us over the past year as part of our 2024 Future Makers cohort. This collection is a part of a self-initiated project showcasing Jakov's work in the context of the book cover. Never one to shy away from reading cover to cover, Jakov leans in to his intuitive illustrative approach and ability to create eye catching and direct illustrative layouts.
We spoke to Jakov about the books he chose, the nuance to celebrating each for their individuality whilst bringing them together cohesively as a set, and where he'd like to take his illustrativew practice next.
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The process of sketching out an idea is primarily about reducing and condensing all of these thoughts and impressions into something striking and elegant. This can be quite challenging, but also very rewarding.
– Jakov Jakovljevic
Tell us about your inspiration behind this project, and why illustrating book covers was an appealing idea for you?
When I started working as an illustrator, book cover designs were really not something I sought out or even thought about that often. In a span of several years and lots of very enjoyable projects that came along, I ended up finding it to be one of the most fulfilling, challenging and rewarding ways to work and create as both an illustrator and graphic designer. After successfully working on a number of covers, for this project my main goal was to create a sampler of ideas, artworks and designs that push my practice forward and consolidate my appreciation and confidence for this kind of work.
One of the things we love about your work is the way you're able to wind narrative into impactful compositions. What is your usual process when illustrating a book cover?
If given enough time, I really enjoy going through the title and reading it, looking out for anything in the text that could lead me to a strong and layered concept. It can be anything from a recurring motif to a random passage, or a description of a significant event. Once I've done my research and had a few thoughts about the text, the process of sketching out an idea is primarily about reducing and condensing all of these thoughts and impressions into something striking and elegant. This can be quite challenging, but also very rewarding.
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My main goal was to make sure I have a batch of strong and promising concepts sketched out and then see where each of them takes me once I start working on the details, by that point relying more on what looks or feels right for a particular piece and going more by instinct.
– Jakov Jakovljevic
What were you trying to achieve across the set of illustrations, were there any 'must have's' or constraints to work within?
I wasn't actively trying to put too much emphasis on strict visual cohesion or keeping things very stylistically consistent. My main goal was to make sure I have a batch of strong and promising concepts sketched out and then see where each of them takes me once I start working on the details, by that point relying more on what looks or feels right for a particular piece and going more by instinct.
Each book is from a very different fiction genre – were there any considerations or challenges in achieving cohesion across the set of 5?
For this project, the main thing that ended up being the connective thread was the emphasis on organic, painterly details and fully leaning into creating rich and layered pieces. I can't say that was fully intentional, but it made complete sense for me at this time, as I tend to swing in and out of phases of work that's either quite stark and minimalist, or more richly fleshed out and detailed.
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Has the project changed the way you think of your work going forward in any way? Or have you discovered anything unexpected?
The biggest surprise for me was how much of a creative privilege it can be to have plenty of time to actually read the book and think about it afterwards. For this project there really wasn't a manageable way to go through all the titles and still have time to create more than one or two illustrations. That actually made things more challenging, as I had much less information to rely on and had to stay really critical and practical about what I can and cannot achieve. Ultimately it was a great exercise in restraint and decisiveness.
What’s next for you, is there anything this has spurred you on to create or explore?
As I said in the beginning, working on this has really reaffirmed how much I love working on these types of projects and just how vital and important storytelling is for my art.
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About Jakov Jakovljevic
Jakov’s work features beautifully crafted digital forms, characters and figures with use of texture, soft detail and unusual colour palettes giving an atmospheric edge. Based in Belgrade, Serbia, Jakov works with clients around the world including The New York Times, Goethe Institute Serbia and Booka Publishing House amongst many more.
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