Viewing Penguins from Design

In the summer of 1935, Penguin published 10 paperback books, each priced at 6p, which is the price of a pack of cigarettes. It took the first step to realize its publishing ideal, that is, to provide high-quality reading to ordinary people at a low price. This is also the first batch of mass market paperback books in the UK, which has set off a "paperback book revolution" in the UK and even in the world. Today, Penguin, a classic publishing brand, is almost synonymous with book design and publishing quality.

It defines what is standard and classic, what is art and beauty in the field of book art, and has influenced the aesthetic taste, thought, knowledge and character of the British and the world. Starting from the birth of Penguin paperback, this book selects 540 classic covers that are of great significance in the development of Penguin. From the perspective of design, it connects the wonderful stories of Penguin brand construction, development and reshaping, and explores the design in this process. The roles played by designers, artists and editors, and the development and evolution of British culture, graphic design, photography, illustration, printing technology and so on are intertwined with them. From the classic three-stage grid and color coding at the beginning, to various visual presentation methods and styles such as illustrations and photography, the combination of design and content has shown people a more open, mature and confident " penguin". Under the impact of today's Internet and new media, the physical book publishing industry is facing great challenges.

However, in such a general environment, the appeal and vitality of the Penguin brand have not diminished, and even stabilized its publishing position in the fierce market competition of internal and external difficulties, and made readers more and more convinced that "physical books must exist and are irreplaceable". To what extent, then, has design hatched this influence from Penguin? What enlightenment and reference do these have for the modern publishing industry? This book will give us answers to these questions.