"Lord of the Rings"
Dave Lull sent me this site some days ago, but it took me a while to “get it.” Chalk it up to the whimsy of the internet.
The art blog 50 Watts‘ Polish Book Cover Contest asked contestants to design the “Polish edition” of their favorite book. Why Poland? According to the site, Poland has an “incredibly rich history of book design” – for example, see the new book 1000 Polish Book Covers. Also, see this post.)
Who was eligible? “Anyone in the entire universe, not just Poland,” writes Will Schofield, the man behind 50 Watts. “The submission fee is zero dollars, made payable to the Ghost of Jan Lenica.”
"To Kill a Mockingbird"
“I’m asking you to create a fake cover in the style of the Polish book designers featured in this post and elsewhere on 50 Watts. Do I have a preference for styles from 1920 to 1985? I do, but don’t let that ‘cramp your style,'” he writes.
Some of the judges appear to have been real Poles: Aleksandra and Daniel Mizieliński (editors of 1000 Polish Book Covers, founders of Hipopotam Studio, and book collectors), as well as Peter Mendelsund (book cover designer and the man behind Jacket Mechanical); and Schofield, the man behind Jacket Mechanical as well as the proprietor of 50 Watts.
Schofield answers other questions about the contest here.
His ulterior motive? “Pierogi endorsement.”
Tags: Aleksandra and Daniel Mizieliński, Dave Lull, Jan Lenica, Peter Mendelsund, Will Schofield