A Guide to the Good Life is a contemporary philosophy book about stoicism by William B Irvine. Graphic designer Shadric Toop initially created this alternative book jacket artwork as a personal art project, after reading the book. Consequently, he contacted the author Mr Irvine, who kindly gave him permission to print a limited edition of the new book jacket. Most books I’ve seen about the fascinating ancient philosophy of stoicism seem to feature photographs of Greek or Roman marble sculptures. The problem with this approach to me is that stoicism isn’t just a dead historical philosophy. In fact, the ideas behind stoicism influenced the founders of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). Stoicism is currently going through a modern renaissance. My design for this book jacket is based on the core concepts of stoicism that are relatable to us today. The stoics believed that most things that happen to us are out of our direct control. What is in our control, is how we react to what happens. Stoicism is a philosophy for how to deal with the challenges of life. William B Irvines’s excellent book A Guide to the Good Life delves into various stoic strategies for doing this in a way that minimises negative emotion. My artwork features a fast-flowing river full of rocks. There is a single kayak navigating the water. The flowing water represents life over time and the rocks represent potential setbacks that life may throw at us. It is up to us to learn how to navigate the river successfully. A Guide to the Good Life – Original ink drawing – detail2 – Shadric Toop Shadric created the artwork by first making several large-scale brush and ink drawings. He then photographed the drawings and digitally edited the final composition in Photoshop. These drawings and the limited edition book jacket prints are for sale. Get in touch for details. A Guide to the Good Life with the original cover The original book can be purchased at all good high street bookshops as well as on Amazon.
A Guide To The Good Life by William B Irvine – Book Jacket Design
Special Edition Book Jacket – A Guide to the Good Life
Shadric Toop explains his creative concept for the book cover:
A Guide to the Good Life – How the artwork was created
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