Client:

Neil Hilborn

Goal:

Book Jacket Cover Series, Print

Overview:

I saw the future, I did,
and in it I was alive.

Neil Hilborn is a American contemporary poet whose work is dedicated to the struggles and hopes associated with mental illness. While much of his poems illustrate the pain associated with OCD and depression, he lives his life as an anthem to portray that - despite hardships - life is meant to be lived to the fullest.  

As a personal project, I designed a book jacket series to market Hilborn’s three printed books as a collector’s set. Each cover illustrates an important aspect of one of the most famous poems from each collection. While the paper motif (ripped, crumpled, and bent) conceptually represents the delicacy of human life, especially pertaining to mental health, the bright colors offer a sense of hope which is offered at the end of every book. Furthermore, the type treatement is an homage to Hilborn’s method of drafting poems; he dedicates a special journal for his writing and everything is created by hand. 

Software:

Adobe Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, Print