• Sumudu Athukorala on the art of designing book covers and the value original covers add to a book

Sri Lankan literary circles were abuzz with one particular topic of conversation recently: How original are the covers of books that adorn our shelves and win literary awards? These conversations were mainly centred around literature in the Sinhala language and were of significance as they occurred during Literary Month.

Given that a cover is among the first things that attract a reader to a book, The Daily Morning reached out to Sumudu Athukorala, who is known for his creative and eye-catching cover designs, to learn more about the art of designing book covers and the value of an original cover.

Athukorala, a Moratuwa University graduate, is an architect by profession. He has also received recognition as a filmmaker, having produced several short films that went on to be appreciated at national and international festivals. “At the same time, I work in different areas such as graphic designing, writing, caricature, and painting,” he shared.

Following are excerpts from the interview:

What can you tell us about the art of designing book covers? What drew you to it?

I don’t know whether it was an accident or by intention that I started to work on cover page designs. I always had an interest in art and graphics, so I used to design posters for my own short films at the beginning. Once, my brother, Lakshantha Athukarala, asked me whether I could design a cover page for his collection of poems. It was successful, and after that, I got the opportunity to design several book covers.

What goes into creating a design that stands out but also fits the theme of the book?

I always try to find the inspiration from the content of the book itself. When I get a project, the first request I make to the author is to explain the idea behind the title of the book. Through that, I try to grasp the initial visualisation of a design. If it is a poetry collection, I normally ask the author to share a few of their favourite poems with me, especially the poem which is the basis for the title of the book.

When going through all this carefully, I get a few initial ideas and start scribbling in my sketchbook. I always try to scribble first so I can figure out a few options and the balance, composition, etc. If I have doubts, I talk to the author again to clarify and explain my initial ideas. But mostly, I figure out what I should do and slowly start the artwork. It is a strange form of art; for most, you get a strong idea and you are ready to go ahead with it, but for some, you need more time and more empty pages to scribble.

What have been some of your favourite projects to work on? What are the challenges involved in this line of work?

I think I like all the cover page designs I have done so far. The reasons can be that I enjoy what I do and I always try to make the cover pages I work on to the level I want them to be. But of course, I can name a few of my favourite projects.

The cover page I did for Lakshantha Athukorala’s Samahara Kamatahan is obviously one of my favourite designs. I was inspired by the theme of that book and I had to struggle a little to gather that entire concept to the cover. I wanted to incorporate certain geometry components into the cover rather than curvy lines. And I really like how the cover flows from the front to the back page also.

Through the cover page for Vivimarie VanderPoorten’s Borrowed Dust, I tried to incorporate photography into the design. It was difficult to make a heart shape out of pencil dust but I really wanted to get that idea photographed with a tiny pencil next to the pencil dust heart shape. Eventually, it came out really well and the 3D look of the cover is the key to its success. 

The cover page of K. Sanjeewa’s Yaman Putha was done with a series of sketched collage drawings. The book is a travel journal, so I wanted to express the idea of travel journalism with a few related items such as a scooter, sketchbook, pen, slippers, and a camera. I hand drew these and pasted them on the cover as a geometric collage on a print of an old map which captures the essence of the book.

Suharshanee Dharmarathne’s Aaputungo Maaputungo is a collection of memos by the author. The nostalgic feel of the stories in the book took me to my childhood memories and through the cover page I tried to connect to my own childhood. So I did this drawing of a child going on a walk with a small travel pouch and all her friends, who are animals, are walking with her. This is something I really enjoyed too.

Recent book covers I designed, such as Bingeya Pasukara Bingeya, Mage Kathaawa, Doowili Pannaraya, and Pataya Nam Purawara are also among my favourites.

There was recent controversy surrounding cover designers using others’ work without credit/permission. What are your thoughts about this?

We are living in a modern cyber world. Whether we like it or not, we have to experience art, culture, and societies of the world through the internet and social media. So getting exposed to new ideas and thoughts is unavoidable. We naturally get inspired by the enormous amount of sources such as films, television, art, and so on. Getting inspiration is fine, but copying and pasting other artworks or designs is not acceptable. I believe all artists and designers should have dignity of their own and not reproduce what is already available out there. We should try to add our own flavour and tell our own stories through what we do. I think all the designers should be honest with themselves in the first place.

Do you think our literary circles need to have more conversations about this topic?

I believe the recent incident and the discussions on original and copied work is a good move. This opened the eyes of the people who are engaged in this industry. Now everyone, all the designers, will try to create their own original work in the future. We have to accept that there are resources available out there on different platforms for anyone to use freely. But there are two things; either we have to use those existing resources creatively to do original work or credit the original creators.

Do Sri Lankan authors and publishers value original work, especially when it comes to art?

In general, I think most authors and publishers are not aware of whether the art should be original or not. The first thing they worry about is how to stand out among other designs in the market. If we look at most books that come out in September, I feel 75% of the covers are not original. They only look at how to create an attractive cover page. But there are some publishers and authors who are very keen on having original work. Personally, all the authors and publishers I work with accept the fact the covers have to be original.

What difference can an original cover make to a publication?

An original cover design brings so much value to a publication. The first thing is the cover will express the essence of the book because the cover is the face of the soul which is hidden in the inner pages. If you design a cover without paying attention to the content of the book, I think that is unsuccessful work. So by doing original work, you will definitely bring honesty and a greater value to the book.

On the other hand, doing original work will improve the collective thinking of the designers in this industry. Everyone will contribute to it in a creative way. Then there will be a stage in which we develop as a collective with honest and humble competition rather than market-oriented soulless work.

When working with authors, how do you ensure they understand the importance of original work?

I would not do a design that is not true to myself in the first place. I always try to understand the author’s thinking behind the work and try to be honest about it rather than bringing something completely alien to the content of the book. So I normally have a dialogue with the author or try to understand them through their work. Sometimes, I ask for their favourite poems in the book or the most personal story or element of the book. Through that, I try to create something that would gather the essence of the author’s thinking and something very creative at the same time.

Do you think those working in creative industries in Sri Lanka truly understand the role of copyright, giving credit, permission, etc.?

The direct answer is no. I think as a society, we are a little far behind on this. I don’t know what the exact reason is but as a whole, we think it is okay to take someone else’s creation and just share it without credits. The problem is most people don’t think it’s unethical. With the rapid engagement with social media, this has gone to a different level. I have a very personal experience where a YouTuber copied word-to-word an article I wrote and created a video. When I clearly pointed out that this was wrong, that person was not ready to accept it and apologise. I was surprised by that level of attitude.

Besides it being unethical, could there also be legal implications to copying others’ work?

Well, artists and designers are there to create and express their thinking through art. How cruel is it that we take artists and designers to a level of having to struggle with legal procedures to protect their work? I think that is a very unfortunate situation. I believe there should be a solid system and rules to protect these artists. But looking at the present situation, I think we are still a little far from that. The laws are being implemented here only within very profitable industries, such as music.