Margaret Darcher

One of the most important aspects of book design is setting the look and feel to match the tone of the book. Their Eyes Were Watching God is a coming of age novel written in 1937 by Zora Neale Hurston. It is a love story told in the captivating voice of an African-American woman who refuses to live in sorrow, bitterness, fear, or foolish romantic dreams. It is the story of fair-skinned, fiercely independent Janie Crawford and her evolving selfhood through three marriages and a life marked by poverty, trials, and purpose. The book is written in a thick, southern dialect. My first step in establishing the tone of the book was to create a mood board. I was greatly inspired by the quilts from the women of Gee’s Bend, Alabama.

Next I designed the printed jacket. Using the colors from the style board, I quilted the front and back covers. I embroidered the type by hand to give the jacket an accessible, folksy feel.

In designing the book interior, I focused on user experience for the printed page. I choose a typeface with large x-height for increased readability. The text block has generous margins and a light type color that gives the readers’ eyes some rest and the ability to read for a long period of time. Special attention was given to micro-typography for the best possible readability from page to page.

When I converted the text from printed book to eBook, my goal was to optimize the content for readability on small screens. I removed all micro-typographic treatment so that text could flow seamlessly across a variety of device sizes. I increased the weight and size of the typeface for better screen readability as well.