'The Night Manager' | John Le Carré - Book Cover Design
Designed for the Penguin Student Design Awards Competition, this re-imagined cover of Le Carré's epic espionage thriller 'The Night Manager' juxtaposes the wealthy & opulent lifestyle of the novel's seemingly untouchable antagonist; arms dealer Richard Onslow Roper, against the shady foundations upon which his empire is built.
The cover illustrates a visual metaphor. The ornate hotel key represents the embellished veneer of Roper's character & operations that at first glance appear refined & legitimate. However, when scrutinised by a bright light; cracks begin to appear & the true, far less palatable underpinnings of Roper's interests are revealed in a shadow that subtly morphs from a key into a gun as it lengthens.
In addition to his initials, the key handle also features the Eye of Ra; an ancient egyptian symbol of destructive power that embodies Roper's personality & is also a nod to the Queen Nefertiti Hotel in Cairo, the location of the narrative's catalyst event.
Additionally, the novel's protagonist Jonathan Pine lives a life of two identities - hotel Night Manager on one side & ex-soldier turned undercover agent on the other. So the covers hotel imagery (concierge desk, keys etc.) references one side of this divide whilst the gun silhouette links to the other.
Online bookseller / eBook visualisations
Being successful in todays marketplace requires modern book covers to be just as impactful on digital platforms as they are in person. To test how my design stacks up, I placed my cover alongside other Le Carré titles on Waterstones' online shop & am satisfied that it brings a new, more illustrative & three-dimensional look to the genre without alienating its existing audience.
