A Guide to the Good Life is a contemporary philosophy book about stoicism by William B Irvine. This book jacket design is a special edition run of only 150 copies. The project is the first of a planned set of special edition book jackets, reinterpreted by graphic designer and illustrator Shadric Toop. Shadric explains the concept behind his design: Most books I’ve seen about the fascinating ancient philosophy of stoicism seem to feature photographs of Greek or Roman marble sculptures. The problem with this approach to me, is that stoicism isn’t just a dead historical philosophy – it has a growing modern following. In fact, the ideas behind stoicism influenced the founders of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). My design for this book jacket is based on the core concepts of stoicism that are relatable to us today. Most things that happen to us are not in our control. What is in our control is how we react to what happens. Stoicism is a philosophy for how to deal with the challenges of life. William B Irvines’s book delves into various stoic strategies for doing this in a way that minimises negative emotion. My artwork features a fast-flowing river full of rocks. There is a single kayak navigating the water. The flowing water represents life over time and the rocks represent potential setbacks that life may throw at us. It is up to us to learn how to navigate the river successfully The artwork was created by making several large scale brush and ink drawings. These drawings and the limited edition book jacket prints are for sale. Get in touch for details.
Book Jacket Design: A Guide to the Good Life
A Guide to the Good Life – William B Irvine
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