Four Falmouth University students have been shortlisted for Penguin Random House’s Student Design Award 2019.

Bethany Rush, Josie Staveley-Taylor, Beate Zarina and Lucy Rogers were chosen out of a record-breaking 2,310 total submissions for this year’s award.

Bethany, Josie and Beate have all been shortlisted for their re-design of Haruki Murakami’s iconic novel “Norwegian Wood”, in the fiction cover award, alongside seven other students.

The students were told to incorporate a fresh angle into their designs of the well-known story, making the book appeal to a contemporary, enquiring and literary readership.

Lucy has been included in the ten-strong shortlist for the children’s cover award, which saw her re-design the cover of global bestseller “Wonder” by R.J. Palacio.

Students entering the children’s category were tasked with designing a cover which would make this original and unforgettable book appeal to new readers, as well as remaining a must-read for every child.

Bethany, a third-year student studying graphic design, said: “For me this competition offered a valuable opportunity to answer a brief from a publishing house which everyone has grown up with and appreciated its designs.”

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Bethany's cover for Norwegian Wood

Second year illustration student Josie commented: “I think it’s so great that this award gives young people an insight into the publishing world.

“I would genuinely love to work in this world as I really enjoy the process of thinking about what books mean and how to communicate that message to other people.”

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Beate's cover for Norwegian Wood

Beate, in her third year of illustration said: “I realised that when creating a book cover it is important to produce an unseen and original concept; one that does not just make the design appear aesthetically pleasing, but also brings in themes of innovation and interest in viewers’ eyes, as they are going to see this book for years on their shelf.

“I would love to design book covers for future readers.”

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Lucy's cover for Norwegian Wood

Lucy, also a third-year illustration student, added: “This project has really helped me develop my work even better and further than ever before.

“The design process enabled me to challenge myself with new ideas and ways of how to get my idea across well through media, drawing and typography.

“My dream job would to work for a well-known book publisher, most ideally in the children’s books section.”

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Lucy's cover for Wonder

The award is in its thirteenth year and its main aim is to find the next generation of book cover designers by giving students the opportunity to experience real cover design briefs first-hand.

Art directors from Penguin Random House have now provided each of the shortlisted designers with detailed feedback on their covers, giving the students the opportunity to refine their designs before the final judging takes place.