Xing Shu: Book Cover Design

Credits & Description:

Corporate Name of Client: Ding Ding Co., Ltd.
Account Managers: Gayle Wang/Natasha Liao
Agency: hufax arts, Taipei
Creative Directors: Fa-Hsiang Hu/Yun Liu
Copywriter: Liu Xiao Yun
Art Director: Fa-Hsiang Hu
Design Company: hufax arts, Taipei
Design Director: Fa-Hsiang Hu
Typographer: Alain Hu
Concept/Cultural Reference:
The book is titled , with subtitle .
The author has written 21 stories which have taken places in 21 cities in the world. The words “Xing Shu” in Chinese is the same as a style of Chinese Calligraphy. Making the lightness of this literature book as the focus and not letting readers confused it with with the Chinese Calligraphy immediately came to my mind. I believe design is one form of writing. When the main characters’ characteristics are crafted, stories naturally flow. Taking inspirations from Chinese calligraphy?italics, the design concept gradually evolved to dismantling Chinese characters, and adding hot press printing treatment, the cover intended to deliver the message of this book “what people said”. It works in concert with the book - “where there is a city, there are people and there are stories about those people”. Be it love or other memorable stories.
The book’s cover is designed with strokes of dismantled Chinese characters “Xing” & “Shu”. Like the stories in the book, after people experience love, they are broken, and at the same time, they are emotionally complete. The hot press printing treatment implies that the journey we have traveled. Some might leave marks in our lives, some don’t.
The dotted lines placed on the cover and the back of the book implies conversations and words. The fluorescent green dots are intended to mirror the modern city life. As for paper selection, we chose paper with textures that gives warmth, so when readers pick up the book, they feel the warmth.