Building on the Past with a Second Cover for Best New Poets
Last year, Atomicdust refreshed the look for the annual Best New Poets anthology with a cover template designed to make the series more cohesive and recognizable.
You’d think the hard part was over.
When a template is put into place, it’s the second iteration that solidifies the concept and defines its boundaries. Which elements are constant? Which are up for reinterpretation each time? How far can you stretch the look but still ensure that the series looks like a series?
These were the questions our designers asked as they collaborated on the cover for Best New Poets 2014. Using spray paint, scissors, crumpled paper – even googly eyes at one point – the team experimented with dozens of ways to capture that unique combination of rebellion and reinvention that made the 2013 cover so memorable.
The final cover celebrates the way emerging writers both resist the past and build on it to create new work. The black and white image, paint texture and color variations call back to last year’s cover, but the bright swoosh of magenta and Mary Sidney’s mysterious demeanor ensure that the new image stands on its own.
Look for images of the final book this November, when it will be released nationwide. You can learn more about the series on the Best New Poets website.
