Judging a Book by its Cover: A New Form of Creative Discovery
How judging a book by its cover lead me to discover the wonderful work of Noma Bar and Haruki Murakami.
By
Chioma Ince
November 4, 2021
People say you should never judge a book by its cover. However, in my case, that’s exactly what I did with the international bestselling Japanese author Haruki Murakami. Having won multiple awards and generational fandom for his work, the writing of Murakami has captured the hearts of many around the world. His imaginative style of writing takes you on a surrealist journey filled with suspense, humour, melancholy and magical realism. I was first introduced to his work in 2016 when doing a project on book cover design. I came across the striking and beautifully minimal book covers designed by Noma Bar and instantly fell in love. Design and literature have an unbreakable bond, both artforms push the boundaries in which we communicate ideas.
Haruki Murakami’s work has been the source of artistic inspiration for many emerging and acclaimed creatives, yet it is the cover designs of Noma Bar who caught my attention the most. The bold and striking geometric shapes used in his designs are both accessible and visually appealing. In the covers below, he uses a carefully crafted circular framing device to focus our gaze on the artwork whilst also evoking a feeling of spectatorship amongst the readers. You are drawn into the design and at the same time the circularity of the cover mirrors that of an eye and portal into Murakami’s work.
Noma Bar is an Israel-born graphic designer, illustrator and artist whose work has appeared in media publications and publishing houses such as New York Times, Time Out, The Guardian, London, BBC, Random House, Thames & Hudson, The Observer and The Economist. Some of you may recognise his book covers for Margaret Atwood andDon DeLillo. However, Bar has illustrated over one hundred magazine covers, published over 550 illustrations, published three of his own books and created ad campaigns for power houses like Google, Nike and Sony.
The following illustrations have been made for De Volkskrant, It’s Nice That, McCann NY & Mucinex and they all display a playful and imaginative use of composition and semiotics.
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In Bar’s illustration for Dutch newspaper De Volksrant (image on the left), he draws our attention to the question of “How should things go on after the death of George Floyd?”. The illustration uses the facial structure of George Floyd to embody the protests following the issue of police brutality. Here, we see an image within an image as the shadows and contours of the portrait show banners and arms which represent a fight for justice. The illustration also won a Gold Medal at the annual Best of Print News Design competition of The Society for news design.
BE A HERO. BE BORING is a recent campaign Noma made to promote social distancing and encourage the public to stay home during the pandemic. This bright and endearing artwork won a Silver CLIO Award in 2021 and we can understand why: it addresses current social issues while depicting everyday people doing mundane acts of heroism. In true Bar style, there are many dimensions to these visuals, a feast for our eyes, there is a new image to gaze upon every time you look at this campaign.
To think that I came across Noma Bar’s work when shopping in Waterstones, it just goes to show that new creative discovery can be found anywhere. For some people, it may be in a gallery and for others, in a bookshop. We are visual creatures, so at times it pays off to judge a book by its cover, because you never know what treats there are awaiting you.
People say you should never judge a book by its cover. However, in my case, that’s exactly what I did with the international bestselling Japanese author Haruki Murakami. Having won multiple awards and generational fandom for his work, the writing of Murakami has captured the hearts of many around the world. His imaginative style of writing takes you on a surrealist journey filled with suspense, humour, melancholy and magical realism. I was first introduced to his work in 2016 when doing a project on book cover design. I came across the striking and beautifully minimal book covers designed by Noma Bar and instantly fell in love. Design and literature have an unbreakable bond, both artforms push the boundaries in which we communicate ideas.
Haruki Murakami’s work has been the source of artistic inspiration for many emerging and acclaimed creatives, yet it is the cover designs of Noma Bar who caught my attention the most. The bold and striking geometric shapes used in his designs are both accessible and visually appealing. In the covers below, he uses a carefully crafted circular framing device to focus our gaze on the artwork whilst also evoking a feeling of spectatorship amongst the readers. You are drawn into the design and at the same time the circularity of the cover mirrors that of an eye and portal into Murakami’s work.
Noma Bar is an Israel-born graphic designer, illustrator and artist whose work has appeared in media publications and publishing houses such as New York Times, Time Out, The Guardian, London, BBC, Random House, Thames & Hudson, The Observer and The Economist. Some of you may recognise his book covers for Margaret Atwood andDon DeLillo. However, Bar has illustrated over one hundred magazine covers, published over 550 illustrations, published three of his own books and created ad campaigns for power houses like Google, Nike and Sony.
The following illustrations have been made for De Volkskrant, It’s Nice That, McCann NY & Mucinex and they all display a playful and imaginative use of composition and semiotics.
In Bar’s illustration for Dutch newspaper De Volksrant (image on the left), he draws our attention to the question of “How should things go on after the death of George Floyd?”. The illustration uses the facial structure of George Floyd to embody the protests following the issue of police brutality. Here, we see an image within an image as the shadows and contours of the portrait show banners and arms which represent a fight for justice. The illustration also won a Gold Medal at the annual Best of Print News Design competition of The Society for news design.
BE A HERO. BE BORING is a recent campaign Noma made to promote social distancing and encourage the public to stay home during the pandemic. This bright and endearing artwork won a Silver CLIO Award in 2021 and we can understand why: it addresses current social issues while depicting everyday people doing mundane acts of heroism. In true Bar style, there are many dimensions to these visuals, a feast for our eyes, there is a new image to gaze upon every time you look at this campaign.
To think that I came across Noma Bar’s work when shopping in Waterstones, it just goes to show that new creative discovery can be found anywhere. For some people, it may be in a gallery and for others, in a bookshop. We are visual creatures, so at times it pays off to judge a book by its cover, because you never know what treats there are awaiting you.
People say you should never judge a book by its cover. However, in my case, that’s exactly what I did with the international bestselling Japanese author Haruki Murakami. Having won multiple awards and generational fandom for his work, the writing of Murakami has captured the hearts of many around the world. His imaginative style of writing takes you on a surrealist journey filled with suspense, humour, melancholy and magical realism. I was first introduced to his work in 2016 when doing a project on book cover design. I came across the striking and beautifully minimal book covers designed by Noma Bar and instantly fell in love. Design and literature have an unbreakable bond, both artforms push the boundaries in which we communicate ideas.
Haruki Murakami’s work has been the source of artistic inspiration for many emerging and acclaimed creatives, yet it is the cover designs of Noma Bar who caught my attention the most. The bold and striking geometric shapes used in his designs are both accessible and visually appealing. In the covers below, he uses a carefully crafted circular framing device to focus our gaze on the artwork whilst also evoking a feeling of spectatorship amongst the readers. You are drawn into the design and at the same time the circularity of the cover mirrors that of an eye and portal into Murakami’s work.
Noma Bar is an Israel-born graphic designer, illustrator and artist whose work has appeared in media publications and publishing houses such as New York Times, Time Out, The Guardian, London, BBC, Random House, Thames & Hudson, The Observer and The Economist. Some of you may recognise his book covers for Margaret Atwood andDon DeLillo. However, Bar has illustrated over one hundred magazine covers, published over 550 illustrations, published three of his own books and created ad campaigns for power houses like Google, Nike and Sony.
The following illustrations have been made for De Volkskrant, It’s Nice That, McCann NY & Mucinex and they all display a playful and imaginative use of composition and semiotics.
In Bar’s illustration for Dutch newspaper De Volksrant (image on the left), he draws our attention to the question of “How should things go on after the death of George Floyd?”. The illustration uses the facial structure of George Floyd to embody the protests following the issue of police brutality. Here, we see an image within an image as the shadows and contours of the portrait show banners and arms which represent a fight for justice. The illustration also won a Gold Medal at the annual Best of Print News Design competition of The Society for news design.
BE A HERO. BE BORING is a recent campaign Noma made to promote social distancing and encourage the public to stay home during the pandemic. This bright and endearing artwork won a Silver CLIO Award in 2021 and we can understand why: it addresses current social issues while depicting everyday people doing mundane acts of heroism. In true Bar style, there are many dimensions to these visuals, a feast for our eyes, there is a new image to gaze upon every time you look at this campaign.
To think that I came across Noma Bar’s work when shopping in Waterstones, it just goes to show that new creative discovery can be found anywhere. For some people, it may be in a gallery and for others, in a bookshop. We are visual creatures, so at times it pays off to judge a book by its cover, because you never know what treats there are awaiting you.
People say you should never judge a book by its cover. However, in my case, that’s exactly what I did with the international bestselling Japanese author Haruki Murakami. Having won multiple awards and generational fandom for his work, the writing of Murakami has captured the hearts of many around the world. His imaginative style of writing takes you on a surrealist journey filled with suspense, humour, melancholy and magical realism. I was first introduced to his work in 2016 when doing a project on book cover design. I came across the striking and beautifully minimal book covers designed by Noma Bar and instantly fell in love. Design and literature have an unbreakable bond, both artforms push the boundaries in which we communicate ideas.
Haruki Murakami’s work has been the source of artistic inspiration for many emerging and acclaimed creatives, yet it is the cover designs of Noma Bar who caught my attention the most. The bold and striking geometric shapes used in his designs are both accessible and visually appealing. In the covers below, he uses a carefully crafted circular framing device to focus our gaze on the artwork whilst also evoking a feeling of spectatorship amongst the readers. You are drawn into the design and at the same time the circularity of the cover mirrors that of an eye and portal into Murakami’s work.
Noma Bar is an Israel-born graphic designer, illustrator and artist whose work has appeared in media publications and publishing houses such as New York Times, Time Out, The Guardian, London, BBC, Random House, Thames & Hudson, The Observer and The Economist. Some of you may recognise his book covers for Margaret Atwood andDon DeLillo. However, Bar has illustrated over one hundred magazine covers, published over 550 illustrations, published three of his own books and created ad campaigns for power houses like Google, Nike and Sony.
The following illustrations have been made for De Volkskrant, It’s Nice That, McCann NY & Mucinex and they all display a playful and imaginative use of composition and semiotics.
In Bar’s illustration for Dutch newspaper De Volksrant (image on the left), he draws our attention to the question of “How should things go on after the death of George Floyd?”. The illustration uses the facial structure of George Floyd to embody the protests following the issue of police brutality. Here, we see an image within an image as the shadows and contours of the portrait show banners and arms which represent a fight for justice. The illustration also won a Gold Medal at the annual Best of Print News Design competition of The Society for news design.
BE A HERO. BE BORING is a recent campaign Noma made to promote social distancing and encourage the public to stay home during the pandemic. This bright and endearing artwork won a Silver CLIO Award in 2021 and we can understand why: it addresses current social issues while depicting everyday people doing mundane acts of heroism. In true Bar style, there are many dimensions to these visuals, a feast for our eyes, there is a new image to gaze upon every time you look at this campaign.
To think that I came across Noma Bar’s work when shopping in Waterstones, it just goes to show that new creative discovery can be found anywhere. For some people, it may be in a gallery and for others, in a bookshop. We are visual creatures, so at times it pays off to judge a book by its cover, because you never know what treats there are awaiting you.
People say you should never judge a book by its cover. However, in my case, that’s exactly what I did with the international bestselling Japanese author Haruki Murakami. Having won multiple awards and generational fandom for his work, the writing of Murakami has captured the hearts of many around the world. His imaginative style of writing takes you on a surrealist journey filled with suspense, humour, melancholy and magical realism. I was first introduced to his work in 2016 when doing a project on book cover design. I came across the striking and beautifully minimal book covers designed by Noma Bar and instantly fell in love. Design and literature have an unbreakable bond, both artforms push the boundaries in which we communicate ideas.
Haruki Murakami’s work has been the source of artistic inspiration for many emerging and acclaimed creatives, yet it is the cover designs of Noma Bar who caught my attention the most. The bold and striking geometric shapes used in his designs are both accessible and visually appealing. In the covers below, he uses a carefully crafted circular framing device to focus our gaze on the artwork whilst also evoking a feeling of spectatorship amongst the readers. You are drawn into the design and at the same time the circularity of the cover mirrors that of an eye and portal into Murakami’s work.
Noma Bar is an Israel-born graphic designer, illustrator and artist whose work has appeared in media publications and publishing houses such as New York Times, Time Out, The Guardian, London, BBC, Random House, Thames & Hudson, The Observer and The Economist. Some of you may recognise his book covers for Margaret Atwood andDon DeLillo. However, Bar has illustrated over one hundred magazine covers, published over 550 illustrations, published three of his own books and created ad campaigns for power houses like Google, Nike and Sony.
The following illustrations have been made for De Volkskrant, It’s Nice That, McCann NY & Mucinex and they all display a playful and imaginative use of composition and semiotics.
In Bar’s illustration for Dutch newspaper De Volksrant (image on the left), he draws our attention to the question of “How should things go on after the death of George Floyd?”. The illustration uses the facial structure of George Floyd to embody the protests following the issue of police brutality. Here, we see an image within an image as the shadows and contours of the portrait show banners and arms which represent a fight for justice. The illustration also won a Gold Medal at the annual Best of Print News Design competition of The Society for news design.
BE A HERO. BE BORING is a recent campaign Noma made to promote social distancing and encourage the public to stay home during the pandemic. This bright and endearing artwork won a Silver CLIO Award in 2021 and we can understand why: it addresses current social issues while depicting everyday people doing mundane acts of heroism. In true Bar style, there are many dimensions to these visuals, a feast for our eyes, there is a new image to gaze upon every time you look at this campaign.
To think that I came across Noma Bar’s work when shopping in Waterstones, it just goes to show that new creative discovery can be found anywhere. For some people, it may be in a gallery and for others, in a bookshop. We are visual creatures, so at times it pays off to judge a book by its cover, because you never know what treats there are awaiting you.
People say you should never judge a book by its cover. However, in my case, that’s exactly what I did with the international bestselling Japanese author Haruki Murakami. Having won multiple awards and generational fandom for his work, the writing of Murakami has captured the hearts of many around the world. His imaginative style of writing takes you on a surrealist journey filled with suspense, humour, melancholy and magical realism. I was first introduced to his work in 2016 when doing a project on book cover design. I came across the striking and beautifully minimal book covers designed by Noma Bar and instantly fell in love. Design and literature have an unbreakable bond, both artforms push the boundaries in which we communicate ideas.
Haruki Murakami’s work has been the source of artistic inspiration for many emerging and acclaimed creatives, yet it is the cover designs of Noma Bar who caught my attention the most. The bold and striking geometric shapes used in his designs are both accessible and visually appealing. In the covers below, he uses a carefully crafted circular framing device to focus our gaze on the artwork whilst also evoking a feeling of spectatorship amongst the readers. You are drawn into the design and at the same time the circularity of the cover mirrors that of an eye and portal into Murakami’s work.
Noma Bar is an Israel-born graphic designer, illustrator and artist whose work has appeared in media publications and publishing houses such as New York Times, Time Out, The Guardian, London, BBC, Random House, Thames & Hudson, The Observer and The Economist. Some of you may recognise his book covers for Margaret Atwood andDon DeLillo. However, Bar has illustrated over one hundred magazine covers, published over 550 illustrations, published three of his own books and created ad campaigns for power houses like Google, Nike and Sony.
The following illustrations have been made for De Volkskrant, It’s Nice That, McCann NY & Mucinex and they all display a playful and imaginative use of composition and semiotics.
In Bar’s illustration for Dutch newspaper De Volksrant (image on the left), he draws our attention to the question of “How should things go on after the death of George Floyd?”. The illustration uses the facial structure of George Floyd to embody the protests following the issue of police brutality. Here, we see an image within an image as the shadows and contours of the portrait show banners and arms which represent a fight for justice. The illustration also won a Gold Medal at the annual Best of Print News Design competition of The Society for news design.
BE A HERO. BE BORING is a recent campaign Noma made to promote social distancing and encourage the public to stay home during the pandemic. This bright and endearing artwork won a Silver CLIO Award in 2021 and we can understand why: it addresses current social issues while depicting everyday people doing mundane acts of heroism. In true Bar style, there are many dimensions to these visuals, a feast for our eyes, there is a new image to gaze upon every time you look at this campaign.
To think that I came across Noma Bar’s work when shopping in Waterstones, it just goes to show that new creative discovery can be found anywhere. For some people, it may be in a gallery and for others, in a bookshop. We are visual creatures, so at times it pays off to judge a book by its cover, because you never know what treats there are awaiting you.
People say you should never judge a book by its cover. However, in my case, that’s exactly what I did with the international bestselling Japanese author Haruki Murakami. Having won multiple awards and generational fandom for his work, the writing of Murakami has captured the hearts of many around the world. His imaginative style of writing takes you on a surrealist journey filled with suspense, humour, melancholy and magical realism. I was first introduced to his work in 2016 when doing a project on book cover design. I came across the striking and beautifully minimal book covers designed by Noma Bar and instantly fell in love. Design and literature have an unbreakable bond, both artforms push the boundaries in which we communicate ideas.
Haruki Murakami’s work has been the source of artistic inspiration for many emerging and acclaimed creatives, yet it is the cover designs of Noma Bar who caught my attention the most. The bold and striking geometric shapes used in his designs are both accessible and visually appealing. In the covers below, he uses a carefully crafted circular framing device to focus our gaze on the artwork whilst also evoking a feeling of spectatorship amongst the readers. You are drawn into the design and at the same time the circularity of the cover mirrors that of an eye and portal into Murakami’s work.
Noma Bar is an Israel-born graphic designer, illustrator and artist whose work has appeared in media publications and publishing houses such as New York Times, Time Out, The Guardian, London, BBC, Random House, Thames & Hudson, The Observer and The Economist. Some of you may recognise his book covers for Margaret Atwood andDon DeLillo. However, Bar has illustrated over one hundred magazine covers, published over 550 illustrations, published three of his own books and created ad campaigns for power houses like Google, Nike and Sony.
The following illustrations have been made for De Volkskrant, It’s Nice That, McCann NY & Mucinex and they all display a playful and imaginative use of composition and semiotics.
In Bar’s illustration for Dutch newspaper De Volksrant (image on the left), he draws our attention to the question of “How should things go on after the death of George Floyd?”. The illustration uses the facial structure of George Floyd to embody the protests following the issue of police brutality. Here, we see an image within an image as the shadows and contours of the portrait show banners and arms which represent a fight for justice. The illustration also won a Gold Medal at the annual Best of Print News Design competition of The Society for news design.
BE A HERO. BE BORING is a recent campaign Noma made to promote social distancing and encourage the public to stay home during the pandemic. This bright and endearing artwork won a Silver CLIO Award in 2021 and we can understand why: it addresses current social issues while depicting everyday people doing mundane acts of heroism. In true Bar style, there are many dimensions to these visuals, a feast for our eyes, there is a new image to gaze upon every time you look at this campaign.
To think that I came across Noma Bar’s work when shopping in Waterstones, it just goes to show that new creative discovery can be found anywhere. For some people, it may be in a gallery and for others, in a bookshop. We are visual creatures, so at times it pays off to judge a book by its cover, because you never know what treats there are awaiting you.
People say you should never judge a book by its cover. However, in my case, that’s exactly what I did with the international bestselling Japanese author Haruki Murakami. Having won multiple awards and generational fandom for his work, the writing of Murakami has captured the hearts of many around the world. His imaginative style of writing takes you on a surrealist journey filled with suspense, humour, melancholy and magical realism. I was first introduced to his work in 2016 when doing a project on book cover design. I came across the striking and beautifully minimal book covers designed by Noma Bar and instantly fell in love. Design and literature have an unbreakable bond, both artforms push the boundaries in which we communicate ideas.
Haruki Murakami’s work has been the source of artistic inspiration for many emerging and acclaimed creatives, yet it is the cover designs of Noma Bar who caught my attention the most. The bold and striking geometric shapes used in his designs are both accessible and visually appealing. In the covers below, he uses a carefully crafted circular framing device to focus our gaze on the artwork whilst also evoking a feeling of spectatorship amongst the readers. You are drawn into the design and at the same time the circularity of the cover mirrors that of an eye and portal into Murakami’s work.
Noma Bar is an Israel-born graphic designer, illustrator and artist whose work has appeared in media publications and publishing houses such as New York Times, Time Out, The Guardian, London, BBC, Random House, Thames & Hudson, The Observer and The Economist. Some of you may recognise his book covers for Margaret Atwood andDon DeLillo. However, Bar has illustrated over one hundred magazine covers, published over 550 illustrations, published three of his own books and created ad campaigns for power houses like Google, Nike and Sony.
The following illustrations have been made for De Volkskrant, It’s Nice That, McCann NY & Mucinex and they all display a playful and imaginative use of composition and semiotics.
In Bar’s illustration for Dutch newspaper De Volksrant (image on the left), he draws our attention to the question of “How should things go on after the death of George Floyd?”. The illustration uses the facial structure of George Floyd to embody the protests following the issue of police brutality. Here, we see an image within an image as the shadows and contours of the portrait show banners and arms which represent a fight for justice. The illustration also won a Gold Medal at the annual Best of Print News Design competition of The Society for news design.
BE A HERO. BE BORING is a recent campaign Noma made to promote social distancing and encourage the public to stay home during the pandemic. This bright and endearing artwork won a Silver CLIO Award in 2021 and we can understand why: it addresses current social issues while depicting everyday people doing mundane acts of heroism. In true Bar style, there are many dimensions to these visuals, a feast for our eyes, there is a new image to gaze upon every time you look at this campaign.
To think that I came across Noma Bar’s work when shopping in Waterstones, it just goes to show that new creative discovery can be found anywhere. For some people, it may be in a gallery and for others, in a bookshop. We are visual creatures, so at times it pays off to judge a book by its cover, because you never know what treats there are awaiting you.
People say you should never judge a book by its cover. However, in my case, that’s exactly what I did with the international bestselling Japanese author Haruki Murakami. Having won multiple awards and generational fandom for his work, the writing of Murakami has captured the hearts of many around the world. His imaginative style of writing takes you on a surrealist journey filled with suspense, humour, melancholy and magical realism. I was first introduced to his work in 2016 when doing a project on book cover design. I came across the striking and beautifully minimal book covers designed by Noma Bar and instantly fell in love. Design and literature have an unbreakable bond, both artforms push the boundaries in which we communicate ideas.
Haruki Murakami’s work has been the source of artistic inspiration for many emerging and acclaimed creatives, yet it is the cover designs of Noma Bar who caught my attention the most. The bold and striking geometric shapes used in his designs are both accessible and visually appealing. In the covers below, he uses a carefully crafted circular framing device to focus our gaze on the artwork whilst also evoking a feeling of spectatorship amongst the readers. You are drawn into the design and at the same time the circularity of the cover mirrors that of an eye and portal into Murakami’s work.
Noma Bar is an Israel-born graphic designer, illustrator and artist whose work has appeared in media publications and publishing houses such as New York Times, Time Out, The Guardian, London, BBC, Random House, Thames & Hudson, The Observer and The Economist. Some of you may recognise his book covers for Margaret Atwood andDon DeLillo. However, Bar has illustrated over one hundred magazine covers, published over 550 illustrations, published three of his own books and created ad campaigns for power houses like Google, Nike and Sony.
The following illustrations have been made for De Volkskrant, It’s Nice That, McCann NY & Mucinex and they all display a playful and imaginative use of composition and semiotics.
In Bar’s illustration for Dutch newspaper De Volksrant (image on the left), he draws our attention to the question of “How should things go on after the death of George Floyd?”. The illustration uses the facial structure of George Floyd to embody the protests following the issue of police brutality. Here, we see an image within an image as the shadows and contours of the portrait show banners and arms which represent a fight for justice. The illustration also won a Gold Medal at the annual Best of Print News Design competition of The Society for news design.
BE A HERO. BE BORING is a recent campaign Noma made to promote social distancing and encourage the public to stay home during the pandemic. This bright and endearing artwork won a Silver CLIO Award in 2021 and we can understand why: it addresses current social issues while depicting everyday people doing mundane acts of heroism. In true Bar style, there are many dimensions to these visuals, a feast for our eyes, there is a new image to gaze upon every time you look at this campaign.
To think that I came across Noma Bar’s work when shopping in Waterstones, it just goes to show that new creative discovery can be found anywhere. For some people, it may be in a gallery and for others, in a bookshop. We are visual creatures, so at times it pays off to judge a book by its cover, because you never know what treats there are awaiting you.
People say you should never judge a book by its cover. However, in my case, that’s exactly what I did with the international bestselling Japanese author Haruki Murakami. Having won multiple awards and generational fandom for his work, the writing of Murakami has captured the hearts of many around the world. His imaginative style of writing takes you on a surrealist journey filled with suspense, humour, melancholy and magical realism. I was first introduced to his work in 2016 when doing a project on book cover design. I came across the striking and beautifully minimal book covers designed by Noma Bar and instantly fell in love. Design and literature have an unbreakable bond, both artforms push the boundaries in which we communicate ideas.
Haruki Murakami’s work has been the source of artistic inspiration for many emerging and acclaimed creatives, yet it is the cover designs of Noma Bar who caught my attention the most. The bold and striking geometric shapes used in his designs are both accessible and visually appealing. In the covers below, he uses a carefully crafted circular framing device to focus our gaze on the artwork whilst also evoking a feeling of spectatorship amongst the readers. You are drawn into the design and at the same time the circularity of the cover mirrors that of an eye and portal into Murakami’s work.
Noma Bar is an Israel-born graphic designer, illustrator and artist whose work has appeared in media publications and publishing houses such as New York Times, Time Out, The Guardian, London, BBC, Random House, Thames & Hudson, The Observer and The Economist. Some of you may recognise his book covers for Margaret Atwood andDon DeLillo. However, Bar has illustrated over one hundred magazine covers, published over 550 illustrations, published three of his own books and created ad campaigns for power houses like Google, Nike and Sony.
The following illustrations have been made for De Volkskrant, It’s Nice That, McCann NY & Mucinex and they all display a playful and imaginative use of composition and semiotics.
In Bar’s illustration for Dutch newspaper De Volksrant (image on the left), he draws our attention to the question of “How should things go on after the death of George Floyd?”. The illustration uses the facial structure of George Floyd to embody the protests following the issue of police brutality. Here, we see an image within an image as the shadows and contours of the portrait show banners and arms which represent a fight for justice. The illustration also won a Gold Medal at the annual Best of Print News Design competition of The Society for news design.
BE A HERO. BE BORING is a recent campaign Noma made to promote social distancing and encourage the public to stay home during the pandemic. This bright and endearing artwork won a Silver CLIO Award in 2021 and we can understand why: it addresses current social issues while depicting everyday people doing mundane acts of heroism. In true Bar style, there are many dimensions to these visuals, a feast for our eyes, there is a new image to gaze upon every time you look at this campaign.
To think that I came across Noma Bar’s work when shopping in Waterstones, it just goes to show that new creative discovery can be found anywhere. For some people, it may be in a gallery and for others, in a bookshop. We are visual creatures, so at times it pays off to judge a book by its cover, because you never know what treats there are awaiting you.
People say you should never judge a book by its cover. However, in my case, that’s exactly what I did with the international bestselling Japanese author Haruki Murakami. Having won multiple awards and generational fandom for his work, the writing of Murakami has captured the hearts of many around the world. His imaginative style of writing takes you on a surrealist journey filled with suspense, humour, melancholy and magical realism. I was first introduced to his work in 2016 when doing a project on book cover design. I came across the striking and beautifully minimal book covers designed by Noma Bar and instantly fell in love. Design and literature have an unbreakable bond, both artforms push the boundaries in which we communicate ideas.
Haruki Murakami’s work has been the source of artistic inspiration for many emerging and acclaimed creatives, yet it is the cover designs of Noma Bar who caught my attention the most. The bold and striking geometric shapes used in his designs are both accessible and visually appealing. In the covers below, he uses a carefully crafted circular framing device to focus our gaze on the artwork whilst also evoking a feeling of spectatorship amongst the readers. You are drawn into the design and at the same time the circularity of the cover mirrors that of an eye and portal into Murakami’s work.
Noma Bar is an Israel-born graphic designer, illustrator and artist whose work has appeared in media publications and publishing houses such as New York Times, Time Out, The Guardian, London, BBC, Random House, Thames & Hudson, The Observer and The Economist. Some of you may recognise his book covers for Margaret Atwood andDon DeLillo. However, Bar has illustrated over one hundred magazine covers, published over 550 illustrations, published three of his own books and created ad campaigns for power houses like Google, Nike and Sony.
The following illustrations have been made for De Volkskrant, It’s Nice That, McCann NY & Mucinex and they all display a playful and imaginative use of composition and semiotics.
In Bar’s illustration for Dutch newspaper De Volksrant (image on the left), he draws our attention to the question of “How should things go on after the death of George Floyd?”. The illustration uses the facial structure of George Floyd to embody the protests following the issue of police brutality. Here, we see an image within an image as the shadows and contours of the portrait show banners and arms which represent a fight for justice. The illustration also won a Gold Medal at the annual Best of Print News Design competition of The Society for news design.
BE A HERO. BE BORING is a recent campaign Noma made to promote social distancing and encourage the public to stay home during the pandemic. This bright and endearing artwork won a Silver CLIO Award in 2021 and we can understand why: it addresses current social issues while depicting everyday people doing mundane acts of heroism. In true Bar style, there are many dimensions to these visuals, a feast for our eyes, there is a new image to gaze upon every time you look at this campaign.
To think that I came across Noma Bar’s work when shopping in Waterstones, it just goes to show that new creative discovery can be found anywhere. For some people, it may be in a gallery and for others, in a bookshop. We are visual creatures, so at times it pays off to judge a book by its cover, because you never know what treats there are awaiting you.
