Initial Ideas

Based on the the impact of rain and the change it has on the visual impact it has on scenes in the film adaptation, this cover has a dark tone, but features to rays of colour, one blue to represent the rain present in the film, and one green to present the norwegian wood title in a literal colour form. The decision to make a such a straight forward cover was based on penguins preference to covers that have slightly obvious references to the story arc of the novel.

Based on the push and pull between the two relationships Toru is caught between, (Naoko and Midori), this imagery portrayed this theme in a very literal sense, with two figures pulling a film reel towards themselves in a struggle to get what they wanted. This literal approach was based on Penguin books preference to more obvious covers which show a clear link to a theme or motif from the book.  

A physcial representation of rain being a signifier for any supernatural or emotional change in the novel. The title of the book ‘Norwegian Wood’ has been placed scribed onto a mirror in a form that can’t be smudged or blurred by water (rain); giving the impression that the title has emerged from this supernatural change. 

Based on the isolation the three pivotal characters find themselves in and the connections they make between eachother, this cover has a simple type layout, so that the readers eye is drawn to the illustartion, the lnterwieving lines represent the three paths the characters take through the novel and how they all link and chnage each others paths, most of the time unbknowing they’re doing so. 

This cover focuses on siginificant colours present throughout the film adaptation of the novel. The reasoning behind the blue and red is based on the backdrop of student protest against the established order. The student protestors wore blue and held blue banners when rioting. 

Based on Toru’s indecisive attempts to commit to one relationship, the cover features a back cover consisting of a mix of jumbled arrows all facing in different directions to present his indecisiveness to choose a path to go forward with. The front cover features the ‘Norwegian Wood’ title made from the same cluster of arrows.