Reimagining a classic isn't about making it look contemporary. It's about finding something new to say.

Created as part of an international book cover competition, the brief challenged designers to rethink To Kill a Mockingbird for a modern audience. Rather than relying on the familiar imagery surrounding the novel, I looked beyond the obvious to build a concept rooted in one of its defining moments.

The cover centres on the left hand, a subtle but significant symbol of innocence within the story. Every detail was considered to reinforce the narrative. The black printed hand references the novel's themes of race and injustice, contrasted against a pale yellow background inspired by the social divisions of 1930s Southern America. Bird footprints pressed into the palm offer a quiet nod to the title, while the handwritten text woven through the creases becomes a metaphor for the character's fate. The intention was to create a cover that revealed more the longer you looked at it, allowing the concept to communicate the story without relying on expected symbolism.

The project was awarded first place, attracting national media coverage and securing me a design internship at Penguin Random House in my first year of university.