Senior Book Jacket: A Senior Narrative Book Jacket by Zachary Dembner (2015)

When creating my book jacket, I wanted to achieve a balance between simplicity and information while maintaining a cohesive feel between all the elements. My story is about a boy who is lost in a technological world. He doesn't feel at home in reality so he withdraws into an electronic world where he can create his own reality and have control. As such, I wanted my cover to have an electronic theme, while at the same time representing the blurring between the real and electronic world.

The photograph that I used for my background (Mise en Scene) was of a boy lit up only by a blank computer screen, showing that this is the only source of light in his life. I made the screen a blank white space so as to emphasize the fact that there is no real meaning in the world he is living in. I then used Photoshop to isolate different elements of the photo and separate out different RGB channels, giving it a look that is both 3D and disorienting at the same time. Then I applied a mild extrusion effect to the whole photo. This makes everything appear to be clouded by static, and gives the photo a much more holographic look. It also blurred the face of the boy which allows a certain anonymity to the situation, showing that it could be anyone and that we are all susceptible to the lure of electronics. Lastly, I chose fonts that supported my electronic look. I carefully placed the text so as to make it stand out while working well with the photo that was behind it.