"Fahrenheit 451” 60th Anniversary Cover

Often people say not to judge a book by its cover, but realistically, the first thing one sees when looking at a book is the cover, as the cover is meant to entice prospective readers into investigating further into the contents of the book. 

This is why designing an encapsulating and thematically accurate cover is so essential, and why different book covers are reflective of different significant moments in the history of design- they represent the contents of the book, and literature often represents the state of the world, political opinions, social opinions, and the state of society from the period in which it was written. 

On the cover of Fahrenheit 451, a matchbox combined with a book is the main feature of the cover, which illustrates the overall commentary and baseline plot of the book, criticizing the burning of books and the public’s carefully curated nonchalant and accepting attitude towards the issue. The red in the background could be indicative of the fire used to burn the books in the book, and could also be utilized in order to seem jarring and shocking, communicating that the contents of the book should be something that shocks people.