A Thread of Violence
2023
Designed by Jack Smyth (Freelance)
Categories: Printed Publication / Print / Packaging
Industry: Commercial
Book cover design for Mark O'Connell's 2023 nonfiction book, A Thread of Violence, published by Granta.
The cover reflects the book's fractured exploration of Irish murderer Malcolm Macarthur. The photograph is treated in such a way as to indicate the difficulty in achieving a full picture of such a figure, with the ripped edge creating a violent contrast with the formal attire of the subject. A combination of a vibrant orange Pantone and empty working white space allow the cover to be at once arresting but not so loud as to seem sensational.
