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The Ivory Trail

by Victor Kelleher

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This book cover was designed (by Marina Messiha) to capture and engage people’s attention and persuade them to buy the book. 

Despite the adage; “don’t judge a book by its cover”, a recent survey indicates that people are attracted and swayed by cover designs.

The book, The Ivory Trail by Victor Kelleher, deals with journeys to four destinations into tropical and far eastern countries, and the cover signals a glimpse into each of these.

Africa – The Sahara – The sands, the pyramids, the Sphinx The Far East – the minarets Australia – the desert sands  

Background and Context:

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This book cover uses the  language of graphics to illustrate and depict issues  using both an objective and a subjective approach.

  It is a Text type  that illustrates its message through a montage of disparate and  exotic images.

The Graphics

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Style – written in third person etc. realism, cartoon etc.

Format – size, shape, title page, cover, spacing of pictures and text, choice of font, paper, size, shape, endpapers, etc.

Movement – page turning page, how images and words stream past.

Elements of design,-line, shape, size, perspective, colour, focus attention and evoke mood

Media – oils, water colours, pencil drawings, woodcuts, computer generated art.

Question - “How do pictures add meaning to an advertisement?”

The Language of Visual Representation .

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 The Ivory Trail: Victor Kelleher

Imaginative Journey is inspired by the unknown and exotic, constructing fantasy worldThis book cover uses a montage of exotic imagery and colour to inspire imaginative journey in the responder in an attempt to encourage them to read the novel.A triangular reading path is established that leads the viewer’s eye from a flood lit sphinx and pyramid to the silhouetted domed temples to a human face superimposed against rippling desert sands. Deep oranges and reds draw together the images with darker colours at the edges emphasising the content and creating balance. This synthesises highly charged images into an overall impression of excitement, thrills, mystery and intrigue that the responder’s mind immediately begins to explore.The concept of journey is subtly built up by the rippling movement of the sands, the anticipation in the expression and eyes of the face, and the false perspective created by the layering of images. Also significant to this meaning are the prominently placed title “The Ivory Trail” and the tag “Not all journeys have and ending”. Short and simple, these two textual interjections carry connotations of danger, excitement and the unknown.Using a variety of visual and textual features, this text carefully instils fleeting impressions of exotic locations and cultures, and the concept of journey, into the minds of responders in an attempt to encourage imaginative journeys that will promote the novel.

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Sensual awareness; Composers try to recapture scenes and objects through the appeal of the five senses, visual, tactile, olfactory, auditory, gustatory. Sight – colours, images, gaze.

The uplifted eyes appear to be that of a Caucasian Youth full of awe? Wonder? Amazement?  Fear? Suspense? Anticipation?   - Whatever - they do contrast with the eyes of the Sphinx which are weathered and so blank, vacant, pitiless.

Visual Techniques

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The Pyramid and Sphinx – both symbols of a decadent ancient Egyptian empire the former representing the afterlife and the latter an enigma.

 The sand  -  waste land, the sands of time?  ….. The minarets – symbol of east and west – Byzantine

domes of the Greek Orthodox Religion. The sun:  rising – full of hope, resurrection renewal 

or:Setting – futility, decay, death….

Features of the Design

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ColoursColours:  Eye catching

red, gold, (rich. seductive)  black, brown yellow. Inter-play of colours fading into others – no clear distinctions. The shadows on the right side suggest mystery, danger, fear.

Tactile – texture and feel of the sand

Touch

The Effects

Tactile

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 VECTOR LINES –

Reading paths are generally left to right, top to bottom but here the vector lines

direct us to focus on central images.  We first see the averted uplifted eyes and the lines of the pyramid that direct us to the

ominous warning caption “Not all journeys have endings”. 

The Layout – Arrangement of Page

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 The author’s name is dominant with the

largest font (white on colour) indicating his pulling power.

 The title enlarges with each line, the climatic

emphasis on “Trail”, both in upper case.  The core message at the top, a sentence

fragment, is in the smallest font, uses the lower case, also white on black.

Language

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As a book cover, this is a visual text that can be examined for what it represents about the concept of journey and how this is depicted. It many way it is a cryptic text that is fused with exotic and evocative graphics that arouse a sense of mystery and ambiguity. Visuals are overlapped and merged by means of colour and natural elements of sky, sea and sand.Text is staggered across the cover serving as a visual link between the different sections of the page. Journey motif from the perspective of all three electives is evident in what is depicted for there are references to a journey that is physical, imaginative and inner.

Overview

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The actual novel The Ivory Trail, as the name implies, deals with a journey, a ‘trail’ that is described by the adjective ‘ivory’ which could refer to either a colour or a material. The narrative actually explores identity and self within the imaginative and historical context of lives lived in the past.

The combination and interplay of text, graphics and layout is eye-catching and arouses the curiosity of the viewer in an effective way.

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The author’s name is capitalised and centrally located mid page but offset to the left. This tends to attract but not hold the eye.

The font is rough edged rather than smooth; this gives a visual clue to the possible action style of the novel.

A slightly different font is used for the title and while still in upper case, the size builds with each word so that the emphasis is placed on the word ‘trail’.

The word ‘ivory’ brings to mind images of elephants and the ivory trade that flourished and still flourishes illegally in Africa. This subtly implies the physical context as do the architectural buildings that are depicted.

Analysis of Text

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‘ TRAIL’ is a term that hints at journeys that have elements of danger and are primitive and travelled on foot. It implies a natural terrain rather than an elegant or civilised locality that provides ease of movement.

The soft yellow tone provides a strong contrast to the starkness of the white used for the author’s name above it.

The catch-phrase used in the top right-hand corner is in a different font again and this time appears in upper and lower case. It is more uniform and presents a statement that invites the reader/viewer to ponder over what it might mean.

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Refer to the cover carefully

Task –Answer the following

questions:

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Describe two visual features that are used on the cover. ...................................................................................................................................................................................

What evidence can you locate in this text to support that the novel involves an African journey?

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Graphics

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Analyse the use and effect of the predominant colours on the book cover. ...................................................................................................................................................................................

 Identify the designer’s purpose and comment

on the overall effectiveness of the cover in attracting a potential reader for the book. ...................................................................................................................................................................................

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Summarise the following visual text features: Font/TitleContext – what is the background and settingPurpose – the effectStructural features – colour, graphics, layoutSubject matter / content - plotCompositional features Mood / emotionSymbolismEngagement with the viewer

The Visual Textual Features

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What artistic methods have been used to create a sense of mystery?

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 How is the journey motif represented?.........................................................................

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How effective is the colour imagery that has been used? Respond by close reference to the mood and its impact.

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 How does the presence of pyramid denote a

contemporary or past setting?.........................................................................

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Who do you think undertakes this journey and what could be the obstacles facing him/her?

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The End