Serpent Press

Briefed with creating a fictional publishing company, as well as a series of books, I created Serpent Press, a contemporary book publisher with grand dreams beyond the conservative market.

In a time where publishing companies play topics and cover designs safe, Serpent Press aims to snake its way in with controversial, insightful and thought-provoking publications, with designs that invite further investigation into the content.

Where the big animals that dominate the publishing industry stand as powerful, corporate giants, Serpent Press is warming and open to collaboration, to understanding the everyman and works in ways that show approachability, all while remaining a respectable and valued figure in the industry.

In the Bible’s recount of Adam and Eve’s fall, the Serpent, Satan is seen as an untrustworthy creature who promises to bring knowledge and reasoning to Eve. Unbeknownst to Eve, the Serpent brings all encompassing knowledge, the good and the bad realisations.

Serpent Press takes the imagery and applies it as follows, the Serpent (the publisher) provides knowledge (fruit from the Tree of Life, or in this case, books), to Eve, and later Adam (the readers).

The company does not stand for the depiction of Satan or what the figure represents, rather uses the form he takes as a visual metaphor for a knowledge giver, but in this case the knowledge is publications that are at points outside of the realm of the mainstream, that dare to speak of difficult topics, all with the intention of promoting thoughtful discourse.

The books chosen for this assignment will be in the realm of contemporary psychology, avant-garde narratives, poetic works, and confronting accounts on non-fiction events, people and so on.

Design-wise, the books incorporate a grid almost mocking occult imagery, but uses this as a functional grid system. Additionally, as the reader’s collection grows, their knowledge grows, and so does the serpent on the spine, which wraps around each book keeping their contents close.

Serpent Press
Serpent Press
Serpent Press
Serpent Press
Serpent Press
Serpent Press
Serpent Press
Serpent Press