The Uninhabitable Earth
The Uninhabitable Earth
Concept Development · Illustration · Book Cover Design
This cover design was created as a submission for the Adult Non-Fiction category of the 2021 Penguin Student Design Award. The brief was to reimagine the visual identity of The Uninhabitable Earth by David Wallace-Wells, a powerful work examining the consequences of climate change and urging urgent collective action.
Approach
The design draws inspiration from imagined visions of a dystopian future Earth, layered with subtle references to past evolutionary resets. The concept was to visually suggest both the cyclical nature of planetary change and the human role in accelerating environmental collapse. The imagery evokes distance and desolation, intended to act as both a reflection and a warning.
The typography and composition were kept restrained to allow the imagery to carry emotional weight, while still feeling current and relevant to a contemporary non-fiction audience.
Outcome
The final cover is a contemplative and visually striking interpretation of the book’s central themes. It stands as both a call to awareness and a prompt for introspection, aligning with the urgent tone of Wallace-Wells’s writing while adding a reflective, symbolic visual layer.
Credit
David Wallace-Wells
Peguin