Kincso Nagy
Harry Potter has gotten a few facelifts over the years. The original artwork by Mary GrandPré was replaced with a redesign for the 15th anniversary that appears on the paperback editions of the American novels. The U.K. offers two versions of the books; playful illustrations for the kids, and stark photos for the adults. But this new redesign by Hungarian student Kincső Nagy blows those out of the water.
In the stark, simple project, Nagy wanted to convey the “extraordinary atmosphere of the books.” The seven volumes are bound in an all-black matte cover, with a black glossy title written on the side. The plain covers are dedicated to geometric cutouts that feature a symbol from each book, like the Goblet of Fire, a phoenix feather and the symbol of the Deathly Hallows.
And the best part? The books are actual magic.
OK, not exactly. Nagy used glow in the dark paper behind the cover’s cutouts to give them a spooky glow when the lights are off. Lumos!
And that’s just the cover. The insides are beautifully illustrated, incorporating cutouts, fold-outs and pop-ups, to make the engaging story that much more immersive. Nagy writes, “Each illustration was created with stencil, scanned, and colored in Photoshop.” The texture appears airbrushed, and the designs carry over the same geometric sensibility from the covers.
Now is the part where we wait patiently for J.K. Rowling to notice these covers and demand a reprint. In the meantime, it’s time for another re-read.
