Book Jacket Designs by Mumtaz Mustafa
Judge a Book By Its Cover - Book Jacket Designs by Mumtaz Mustafa
Mumtaz Mustafa is an award-winning graphic designer working in branding, digital marketing, and focusing on book cover design. Mumtaz’s first passion, however, might have been food and creating the perfect culinary experience. Her two worlds collided in the instagram journey - Spice and Sugar Table, she started with fellow foodie and book designer friend, Laura Klynstra that narrates tales and recipes “from the spice markets of Karachi to the farmers markets of the midwest.”She is Senior Art Director at HarperCollins Publishers. A native of Karachi, Pakistan, Mumtaz currently lives in Brooklyn with her Shitzou, Biscuit.
Judge a Book By Its Cover - Book Jacket Designs by Mumtaz Mustafa
What inspired your design for The Exiles by Christina Baker Kline?
The Exiles is a gorgeous and epic piece of historical fiction. It captures the hardship, redemption, freedom, and hope of 3 young women - two English convicts and an orphaned Aboriginal girl - in nineteenth-century Australia.
It is a story about a shipload of women who are transported to a far-away land (19th-century Australia) to be punished for petty crimes ranging from stealing a spoon or falling into the trap of a rich and entitled lover.
The story highlights the dark side of Britain and Australia’s treatment of the indigenous people and convicts.
When we conceived this book it was called “The Tin Ticket”
I based my first set of designs based on the excerpt below. Each woman was identified by a number stamped on metal. I created the ticket based on images I found online. I set these against lush images of a stormy ocean to help portray a sense of a long journey in vast and unknown waters
“One last thing.” Reaching into the trunk, Mrs. Fry pulled out a flat disk on a red cord and held it on her palm.
The disk appeared to be made of tin and was as wide as her thumb. A number was stamped into the metal. One seventy-one.”
Our Sales team was not convinced by the chosen title and after some back and forth everyone settled on “The Exiles.”
I went back to the drawing board and started to research convict ships and Australian landscapes. I wanted to create a lush and historical package that conveyed the long and vast journey of these women. The final image is a composite of the convict ship set against a dramatic backdrop of sky and ocean. I wanted to evoke a sense of discovery, imagination, and promise. The color palette was inspired by the beauty of an Australian Sunset.
This was printed on pearl stock and embossed with a Rose Pink Foil to make the package extra special.
Judge a Book By Its Cover - Book Jacket Designs by Mumtaz Mustafa
Other book jackets by Mumtaz Mustafa:
Judge a Book By Its Cover - Book Jacket Designs by Mumtaz Mustafa
Judge a Book By Its Cover - Book Jacket Designs by Mumtaz Mustafa
Judge a Book By Its Cover - Book Jacket Designs by Mumtaz Mustafa
Judge a Book By Its Cover - Book Jacket Designs by Mumtaz Mustafa
Judge a Book By Its Cover - Book Jacket Designs by Mumtaz Mustafa
Other work by Mumtaz Mustafa:
Find more from Mumtaz Mustafa, here:
mmdesignbookcovers.com
https://www.instagram.com/mumtazmustafadesigns/
