CYAN SERIES
Book Jacket Covers
By redesigning the book jackets for Lauren Groff’s Arcadia, Fates and Furies, and Florida and displaying them as a collector’s edition, the work can be seen within the context of one another. The concept “from apples to oranges” grew from the locations in which the books are set and their respective state fruits. Arcadia takes place in Upstate New York, Florida in Florida, as the name suggests, and Fates and Furies in both states.
The collection of books is held together by a braided ribbon that unifies the accent colors of each book.
Cyanotypes
Each cover, back, spine, and flaps were made in one spread. Primarily the covers are made of cyanotypes, a photographic process in which chemicals are exposed to the sun. Once activated, the chemicals are brushed onto the page in a light-sealed room until dry. Areas of the page blocked from receiving sunlight remain the color of the paper, while areas exposed to the sun turn blue. After an adequate exposure time, which depends on the sun’s strength, the prints are rinsed until the water runs clean. The prints go from being a rusty, golden color to a brilliant blue. By intentionally pooling the chemicals in some areas and exposing the paper before entirely dry, unique bleeds and distressing were revealed after being washed.
Anna Atkins, a British botanist, created the first photo book in the 1800s featuring her photographic impressions of the plants she studied. Atkins even made type from algae for the covers of her books. Utilizing the same process as Atkins, this project pays homage to her and all the women at the forefront of bookmaking and writing.
Florida
Unlike the other two novels, Florida is a collection of short stories. The segmentation of the stories is represented by the way the oranges are sliced compared to the whole apple on the cover of Arcadia. On the spine, a sticker from an orange makes the “O” in the title.
Arcadia
On the cover of Arcadia, the visible cut-out and collaged elements represent how the main character Bit has to rebuild his life around himself after the decay of the commune he grew up in leads to him having to experience the outside world. The leaves and gold are symbolic of this evolution as well. A golden eye is hidden within the counter of the letter “D” on the spine to represent both Bit’s new perspective and photographic eye.
Fates & Furies
The pink accent colors for the Fates and Furies book jackets were inspired by the pink sandbox house that the opening scene takes place in. The horizontal divide between negative space and frenzied space is the middle ground of the covers of Arcadia and Florida. It also represents how the novel follows the story of the husband, Lotto, and then the wife, Mathilde, and how different their perspectives are. The annotation of the word “and” on the spine points to a critical moment when the disparities of the couple are illuminated. After years of working to support the pair financially, Mathilde edits the work of her aspiring playwright husband unbeknownst to him only to be later told by him that she wouldn’t understand what his work truly took.
