Go Set a Watchman book jackets: a designer reads the artwork

The newly revealed covers of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird sequel are a graphic illustration of their publishers’ ambition to ensnare her fans

Cover for Harper Lee’s Mockingbird sequel revealed

Arguably the most hotly-anticipated novel in the world in 2015, Harper Lee’s Go Set a Watchman, had both its UK and US jackets revealed to the world this week … swiftly followed by the world’s opinions.

My initial thought was how beautiful and restrained they were. Then I thought about the thinking behind their design – because, as a book cover designer, I’m used to seeing the process from start to finish, and I’ve heard enough discussions of why we should go one way or another to make a (somewhat) educated guess as to why HarperCollins in the US and Penguin Random House in the UK came up with these particular designs.

What is the most important information we need to communicate?

Firstly, author (obviously, “Harper Lee” will be large).

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