Noughts and Crosses book cover design by Archie Durrant
Editorial Design

Noughts & Crosses

Role Designer
Category Editorial Design
Year 2024

The Brief

A conceptual editorial brief to design a new book cover for Malorie Blackman's 'Noughts & Crosses'. I aimed to visually explore the novel's complex themes of racial division and social inequality without relying on literal illustration.

*Disclaimer: This is a conceptual student project and is not an official commission for the publisher or author.

My Approach

I avoided literal illustration to focus on high-contrast symbolism. The overlapping lipstick marks serve as a poignant symbol of the novel's fraught romance and social division. By weaving subtle textures - like fingerprints and faint stains - around stark typography, I aimed to imply the human cost behind the political conflict.

Noughts and Crosses cover design
Noughts and Crosses typography detail
Book cover in context
Final design
Typography close-up