![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/be3ed7d5-089f-403c-ab5d-dc102a3d892b/34f13c70-2982-41ba-8cea-01291d17485a_rw_1200.jpg?h=627afdaff7c284a8d446d575c97ed31d)
DEISGN BRIEF
We were tasked to create a cover for a book about a famous couple. The imagery on the cover had to abstractly represent their relationship while working with a limited color palette. I chose to represent Tom and Jerry, who are cartoon characters created by Hanna-Barberra in 1940.
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/be3ed7d5-089f-403c-ab5d-dc102a3d892b/3b4931aa-125a-491f-aba1-6257bcf70808_rw_1200.jpg?h=fa5b35bf8f0a9fb43f17eb70c403f202)
SOLUTION
To start, we created a list of adjectives that described each character and their relationship to each other. From here, we sketched objects and imagery that could symbolize the adjectives.
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/be3ed7d5-089f-403c-ab5d-dc102a3d892b/86ce861e-dfe9-45db-a1c3-4e9af523afcc_rw_1200.jpg?h=9feb626db7fa32ed2c02ebdc2583da15)
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/be3ed7d5-089f-403c-ab5d-dc102a3d892b/8e4c1e96-902f-4716-af6d-2750aa06f4c8_rw_1200.jpg?h=c2f61beeafd510826f7d47fb7aa75e01)
The spinning top dances around the boiling kettle as steam and water fill the plane. As a whole, this imagery mirrors the outrageous and chaotic high-jinks that Tom and Jerry get into.
THE IMAGERY
Tom is represented by a boiling kettle because he is hot blooded, impulsive, and klutzy. Jerry is elusive, childlike, and cunning, so he is symbolized by the toy top.
My goal was to create a cover that was simple yet eye catching, while representing the show in a way that was not literal.
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/be3ed7d5-089f-403c-ab5d-dc102a3d892b/da674cbc-a7fe-4b5f-82c0-8fb604627990_rw_1200.jpg?h=760ed0de56a75a1757a69b5ff7bf2eb1)
"Ohno Blazeface" was chosen because it's vintage style matches the time period of Tom and Jerry.
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/be3ed7d5-089f-403c-ab5d-dc102a3d892b/d3ccb531-7e95-4103-aa68-2d7743ee961e_rw_1200.jpg?h=bd5b472703416ac5892ac7b2974cea63)
One of my inital concepts, repurposed as a background image for the back of the book. Lemons and sugar are opposites. One is sour and the other is sweet, but they can combine to make a classic and delicious.
final application