Greek Mythology
Client: Kim Dong Publishing House
Production: Folktales Art House
Art Director: Vu Xuan Hoan
Illustrator: Linh K. Nguyen
Duration: October 2018 - June 2019
For the reproduction of the "Greek Mythology Collection", I was assigned by Folktales Art House to design new covers for the new version of the book trilogy. Under the direction of Kim Dong Publishing House, the final product was a great success.
The books are a collection of origin stories, powers, associations, and famous legends of many Greek gods, goddesses, heroes, beauties, monsters, etc. The content is so famous that there have been millions of editions published in Vietnam. After discussing with the Art Director of Kim Dong Publishing House, it was decided that they 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 triology, along with the influence from Art Deco 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 twinkles 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).
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.
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.
Some pictures of the published books (Photos by Kim Dong Publishing House):
