Covers with “Karakter”. On projects by Przemek Dębowski

Abstract

The article is an analysis of the cover designs prepared by Przemek Dębowski for the Karakter publishing house, as well as an attempt to reconstruct the process of their graphic creation on the one hand, and the ways of appealing to the audience through them – that is, the rhetoric of these covers – on the other. The statements made by the graphic designer himself are an important point of reference, especially the specifics of how he defines his covers and the concept of four communication strategies on which he bases their creation. The publishing house offers fiction, non-fiction, essays and titles on design, architecture and art, so the research material consists of works representative of each genre. As the analysis shows, Dębowski treats each cover commission individually, and in his search for the most appropriate solutions for a given title, he moves freely from German-Swiss to American patterns, i.e. from austerity and minimalism to dynamism and liveliness. He also does not shy away from aesthetic controversy, always introduced deliberately, with full awareness.