Ignited by my profound passion for literature and science, I redesigned the cover for 'The Uninhabitable Earth' by David Wallace under a brief set by Penguin.

 

My concept was inspired by a line in the text comparing our future to the lost city of Atlantis, referring to our rapidly rising sea levels.

To personify the obvious reference to our melting icecaps on the cover, I situated the setting in a drinking glass. This was a deliberate metaphor to symbolise the criticism towards climate activists for having their outlook on life as ‘glass half empty’.

For readers of the book, initiating change inspired by the words of the author would alter the perspective of the cover to ‘glass half full’.

 

The aesthetic of the design was inspired by retro-futurism graphic design trends and intended to stand out with the competing book in it's genre.