Client: Kim Dong Publishing House
Production: Folktales Art House
Art Director: Vu Xuan Hoan
Illustrator: Linh K. Nguyen
In 2018 I was commissioned by Kim Dong Publishing house to create book covers for their "Greek Mythology Collection".
Duration: October 2018 - June 2019
Greek Mythology
The books are a collection of ancient Greek origin stories, powers, associations, and famous legends. The content in previous editions published in Vietnam were a great success, selling millions of copies. Kim Dong Publishing House wanted a renewed design for the book covers. Specifically ones that could compete with the various other books on Greek mythology around the world. Furthermore, these covers were to be designed as special editions for collector buyers.
There are 3 volumes in the collection: "Gods and Goddesses of the Legendary Olympus"; "Great Triumphs of Perseus, Hercules and Brave Warriors"; "The Epics: The Battle of Troy and The Odyssey".
Visual Research
There has been a deep connection between Greek mythology and astrology for centuries. Disney, in "Hercules" (1997), also used the concept of stars to describe the presence of heroism and the hope of victory. Furthermore, the ancient Greeks played a big part on developing the astrological system used in the West today. This understanding inspired me to build the concept design for the trilogy, along with influence from the art deco style by using line art, strong shapes and a simple but rich color palette.
Concept Development
One of the publisher's requests was to create a shared thematic design with the books. I decided to follow the concept of a human-like figure on the back of an animal, surrounded by twinkling and symmetrical stars.
The first book cover's illustration depicts Dionysus, the God of Wine and the Grape Harverst. With an aura around his head, Dionysus rides side-saddle on the back of a panther. He is crowned with a wreath of ivy or vine-leaves and holds a ribboned thyrsus (pine-cone tipped staff) in his hand. This illustration was inspired by a moisac from the Archaeological Museum of Pella(theoi.com).
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The second book cover shows the proud and fearless Perseus on the back of a winged horse named Pegasus. Armed with heavy armor and a sharp spear, the hero is ready to conquer any battle.
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The third book cover depicts Helen, the most beautiful woman in the world, who was conceived in a union of Zeus disguised as a swan and Leda, Queen of Sparta. With a golden apple in her hand, Helen flies to Heaven on the wings of her powerful father.
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Some pictures of the published books (Photos by Kim Dong Publishing House):
