Graphic Design
Sleeve re-design for the Hardcover copy of Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.
Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is a book that is close to my heart, but one that I feel has always been let down by its various covers. The narrator describes the “romantic” approach to life of his friend, who chooses not to learn how to maintain his expensive new motorcycle. In contrast, the “classical” narrator has an older motorcycle which he is usually able to diagnose and repair himself through the use of rational problem-solving skills.
The narrator aims towards a perception of the world that embraces both sides, the rational and the romantic. This means encompassing “irrational” sources of wisdom and understanding as well as science, reason and technology. He seeks to demonstrate that rationality and Zen-like “being in the moment” can harmoniously coexist. It is this complementary combination of rationality and romanticism that I wanted to visualise when re-designing the cover.
Marriage of Philosophies
To visualise this theme, I created two graphic circles, one representing systematic rationality that views objects as a sum of their components, and the other romanticism, purely view it as its form. The overlap between them creates a beautiful embrace, symbolising quality and truth. This theme is then extended onto the back cover with three interacting circles.
The palette used for the design echoed the same themes, with the neural beige representing the ‘classical’ view, purple for ‘romanticism’ and a vibrant green for the marriage of them both. This creates visual intrigue and importantly the book is gender-neutral. Previously the novel has mainly appealed to men, something this design hopes to change. Additional graphic icons were added to symbolise the themes of love, growth, acceptance and discovery in the book.
