Cover Design Award

Joe Bundock

The concept for my artwork arose from the traditional printmaking artwork of medieval illuminated manuscripts. The style I used was heavily influenced by the aesthetics of Medieval woodcuts, and I used Linocut printmaking to achieve a similar look in my work. My use of historical styles and methods was done to visually cement the book into the fantasy tradition by highlighting a chain of influence and importance from arguably the starting point of the genre, to landmark modern entries such as the work of Terry Pratchett. The Discworld and magical storm imagery captures the absurdly, hectic nature of the novel. 

Adam Farquharson 

I predominately wanted to visualise the journey through time Sam Vimes faces during Night Watch as elegantly as possible.  

Following that I wanted to honour not just Terry Pratchett’s prose, but also the illustrators who crafted such a strong visual style for Discworld, namely Josh Kirby and Paul Kidby. 

 I finally wanted to tie together the artistic influences of the art nouveau style, the wonderful detailed illustrative style of Frank Booth, and thematic splendour of the astrological zodiac clock into a visualisation of not only the concept of time travel, but the wider fantastical nature of the Discworld series. 

Peter Goddard

Verdigris on copper is the basis of the palette to evoke the passage of time, accumulation of wear and tarnished authority as well as the obvious reference to policing. I wanted a cover that could perhaps have been a piece of propaganda, the ‘Watch’ as part of the city, (helmet reflected in the domes and spires of the skyline). reliably there surveillant from the shadows, prepared for violence, in order to restore order. On closer look though this is not a pristine or heroic representation of the state, the helmet is battered the badge is bureaucratic not heroic and the watcher is under strain. 

Sanah Jamil

My concept is based on the idea that Vimes and Ankh‑Morpork are inseparable, captured in the line that he could navigate the city “by the feel of its cobbles.” I wanted the design to reflect that connection, so I built his silhouette by layering meaningful symbols that represent his constant pressures of duty, conflict, and justice. The watch tower sits at the centre as a marker of vigilance, while the subtle texture adds the noise and grit of the city itself. Together, these elements show a man shaped by the place he’s sworn to protect but desperate to escape.

Georgia McEwen

For my cover, I wanted to depict a feeling of waiting and watching, as the main character Vimes knows how the revolution will end, and is forced to relive it. Depicting Vimes on the barricade, but at a moment before the action, allowed me to highlight the emotional and reflective themes in the book while still referencing the central storyline – and showing a juxtaposition between the two. Drawing from film noir was helpful for this as in my research I found that the genre’s strong use of tone was most effective in moments of tension – rather than action.  

Rebecca Oliver

My design focuses on the central character and hints at the moment when two versions of the same man come together. They are the same person, though time has left its mark. I drew inspiration from the gas-lit cobbled streets of The Third Man and Saul Bass’s handmade graphic movie posters. The publisher’s iconic black, white and orange colour palette informed the redesign, fitting for Night Watch as a Penguin Classic. Maintaining a simple, clean, hand-cut paper style. 

 Callum Selkirk

I had a few inspirations while making the cover but most of my drive came from classic linography as I have been obsessed with cut outs and I felt like that technique really translated the authenticity of the story.

Federico Tear

My concept includes two symmetrical lilac trees representing the parallel time lines of Sam Vimes and his older self, John Keel. The design culminates in two lilac flowers with a black police badge in between to represent the night watch. I wanted to create a pattern that could be adapted for the different books in the series, and designed the spine of the book so the pattern would connect with another when sat alongside on a bookshelf. I chose a gothic typeface that seemed fitting in the world of ‘Ankh-Morpork. 

 Sunny Tsang

I wanted to communicate the themes of suspense and drama within Night Watch, by using bold character silhouettes and shapes, and high-contrast values. My inspiration for the final composition and striking colours came from aesthetics of 60s film posters. I also wanted to reflect the books sense of peril as well as the fight for justice against a corrupt system, by having the characters step forward, right across the spread as they chase the killer. I felt the connection between young/old Sam was also important to highlight, so I included the silhouettes within each other, both in same pose.

Amber Winthrop

The idea was to mimic the chaotic streets of Ankh-Morpork, investigation and time travel. I was drawn to the description of Vimes’ investigation and the feeling of cobbles beneath his worn boots. I wanted to link this with the theme of time travel, and the maze created a metaphor for both. Ankh-Morpork’s atmosphere is brought to life through small details within the maze and I integrated image and typography in order to seamlessly assimilate the title with the story. The Penguin orange is also seen throughout the design, creating more cohesion and intrigue within the image. 

Imogen Bowers

The sheets are the main focus that ties the whole design together. This is a reflection of how the sheets are where the story starts to tie both the narrative and the characters' fates together.The sheets are being sucked into a void that represents the darkness. Upon each  

sheet is either an important prop/plot relevant item from the story, like Mrs Who's glasses, which help save Meg’s father or the fake turkey dinner whilst they're captured. I also wanted to represent the concept of time outside of just the title, so on the front sheets are different clocks. 

Jiazhen Cai 

The concept of the design explores space-time and self-discovery through Meg Murry’s adventure with her family and friends. The cover reflects both cosmic journey of the story and emotional themes of love, courage, and faith that guide the protagonist. 

The layout is inspired by the visual language of comics, moving away from the traditional single-image cover. Instead, three scenes highlight key moments of the narrative, including time travel, fantasy, trust, and the courage to face fear and unknown. The wrinkle across the top of the design symbolizes the folding of time, becoming visible as the book opens and closes. 

Eleanor Deutz

For my cover, I have focused on the evil forces in the book and depicted the control and conformity they are spreading. I was particularly drawn to Madeleine L’Engle’s descriptions of Camazotz, a planet controlled by a dark force named IT, which I have illustrated on my cover. 

I used dull grey colours for the buildings and put the dome at the centre to show its dominating presence. I’ve used red cameralike eyes to add to the feeling of control, inspired by imagery in War of the Worlds and 1984 but adapted for a younger audience. 

Lili Frech

I have always been a fan of witchy-themed and mysterious books, especially if they also have some criticism on the system/society, so I chose A Wrinkle In Time to redesign. 

The scene with the Happy Medium and her crystal ball really stuck with me, and I decided that would make a good cover image - the crystal ball and the Medium's hands giving a nice frame to the children's characters, and creating a sense of mystery. Some keywords that came to mind for this cover were: ethereal, whimsical, galaxy, spirituality, purpose, and of course the battle between light and dark.  

I also decided to create a hand-drawn title font paired with an illustration of the main characters. The wonky, imperfect quality of the lettering reflects the story’s message about embracing imperfections, while the warped “E” subtly references the “wrinkle” in the title. 

This project was a lovely chance to bring together my love for illustration, type, and storytelling, while reimagining such a great book. 

Fir Gurden

My cover design was initially inspired by several vintage science-fiction book covers, including editions of A Wrinkle In Time, Dune and The Left Hand of Darkness. I wanted to capture the same surreal, textured quality of the paintings used in those designs but in a style that came from my development work in watercolour, ink and paper-cut shapes. I chose to illustrate the scene of Meg, Charles and Calvin on the planet Uriel as I felt it was a key moment in the story and would convey the surreal, emotional tone of the book.  

Em Kirsten

For my cover design, I focused on the idea of the reader peering into the many worlds Madeleine L’Engle guides us through with Meg, Charles and Calvin. I used a mixture of textures, printed with ink and acrylic paint, and digital collage to try and capture the feel of the planets that the children Tesser to, with Mrs Whatsit, Mrs Who and Mrs Which at the centre of the adventure. 

Yutong Liu

Inspired by Interstellar, my design centers on a Tesseract with edges extending into space-time tracks. These lines partition the cover into shifting dimensions, housing a heart-shattered planet Camazotz at its core—a metaphor for love’s triumph over darkness. As the protagonists traverse these orbits, the journey flows onto the back cover where the father awaits. By integrating typography directly into these geometric spaces, I’ve created a cohesive, interactive layout that invites young readers to step through the "wrinkle" and explore the fifth dimension. 

Kate Wand

The inspiration behind my cover design is how the characters travel through space and time. I created a visual representation of this with the blue waves acting as the direction of travel and the characters riding these waves across space.  Mrs Whatsit also features on the back cover to add a bit of whimsy to the design. 

Ivy Watts

My design explores the binaries at the heart of A Wrinkle in Time through both visual form and material process. Combining hand-drawn and digital elements allowed the cover to embody contrasts between imagination and logic, softness and structure, and individuality and conformity. The tesseract became a portal-like device, transforming the book itself into a threshold between darkness and light. Red symbolises Meg and the power of love at the centre of the narrative. The cover celebrates difference, positioning imagination and humanity as forces capable of disrupting control and restoring freedom.

Kamila Zarosa

After reading the book and researching the symbolism and possible ways to show “tesser”, I decided to portray it as travel through rainbow. The imagery is inspired by Mrs. Whatsit’s rainbow wings in her centaur-like form. While the book describes her carrying the children across the sky, my cover uses the rainbow to transport them toward a red planet, representing Camazotz, with colour inspired by the Man with Red Eyes. The design may remain elusive at first, only fully revealing its symbolism once the reader finishes the story.