Crying in H mart book cover design
“Crying in H mart” by Micheele Zauner is a poignant memoir about growing up Korean American, losing her mother to cancer, and finding solace in food.
Below is the original book cover, accompanied by a list of elements I aim to enhance or modify.
As a book cover of a memoir about Korean culture published in Western world, the design almost blurrs the distinction between East Asian countries, which
1-1 (color red)
among East Asian countries, color red is much associated with China or Japan due to the color of their national flags.
1-2 (noodles)
Korean dish -both traditional and modern fusion- has more rice based dish, served in a bowl, accompanied with side dish rather than noodle based dish.
2 (typeface)
The font of “crying” does not make clear that if the author is shedding tears or yelling.
- express the grief by creating the shape of eyes and tearmarks with the book title and author’s name.
- Use of semi circle as a metaphor for a bowl, rather than a direct imagery of food.
- limiting color palette to black and white for minimalistc elegance and the significance of color white in Korean culture. (Tranditionally, Koreans have been called “the white-clad people,” because from birth to burial, many Korean people across the social specturm dressed in white. This term connotes strong national spirit even today).