Tim Parker

Cambridge School of Art at Anglia Ruskin University

Explanation of work

The best fairy tales tend to be about things being more than they seem. The wolf reeks of inherent threat, and not wanting to treat a young audience as too immature to deal with fear, I thought it the perfect primary visual element. I wanted the wolf’s head large, to make it part of the landscape, and the idea of the path arose, fitting perfectly with the tongue. I decided to link the breadcrumbs from ‘Hansel and Grettel’ with the sense of being eaten, and the minimal colour palette was designed to stand out when surrounded by bright covers.

Judges' Comments

‘A clear winner – strong design, fierce without being frightening, super lettering and typography, a huge wolf head on the front contrasting with the small child figure on the back. The idea of the tongue becoming a path was ingenious. If you had been told about it in words you might have thought “contrived” but it isn't, it works perfectly. Ingenious and witty. Triffic!’ Raymond Briggs

‘A cover with great impact which really stood out. An excellent concept for the illustration which ties together seamlessly with the typography across the whole book’ Anna Billson – Art Director, Penguin Children’s

‘Very dramatic and appropriately dark without being dour. Love the spine and the use of typography’ David Almond

‘Incredibly striking. Great use of pattern and colour. Excellent typography’ Francesca Dow – Managing Director, Penguin Children’s

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