Daughters of Eve is a collection of feminist essays by Sally Wiener Grotta, exploring the female archetypes of the Old Testament and how they shape our understanding of womanhood today.
Sally wanted a minimalist, expressive cover for her book that communicated feminine power, tradition, and connection between women. She specifically mentioned post-impressionism; Gaugin and Matisse, especially “The Dance”; apples; hands reaching out; and minimalism.
Book Cover
Daughters of Eve
by Sally Wiener-Grotta
some early concepts
Sally mentioned this painting specifically, so I mocked up a layout with the title text.
I used a line drawing of a hand reaching out towards an apple, which exists simultaneously in the line drawing "world" and also in a more colorful, organic one.
This detail from Gaugin's "The Call" shows two very different women—one fully covered, one not; one looking at the viewer, one looking far-off—that are nevertheless close to each other in an embrace.
I made sure to include one minimalist look, this one presenting the iconic apple in a way that is rich, dynamic, and enticing.
refining the concept
Sally decided pretty quickly that Matisse’s “Dance” most fully expressed everything she wanted to about the book. However, she didn’t just want to slap text on a painting on and call it a cover—she wanted to put her own spin on the classic artwork. So—after checking the various copyright restrictions—we decided on color as an expressive way to restate the painting, as relating to the contents of the book.
I chose expressive, dynamic Zapfino for the title typeface, and elegant Caslon for the body text, and finally added a distressed paper texture to the cream field.
Sally was thrilled with the final cover for the book, which you can learn more about and purchase here.
