David Pearson — London, UK

“Book-cover design is one of the few design disciplines where ambiguity is actively encouraged. By holding back information and being quietly suggestive, readers are invited to fill in the blanks and interpret for themselves. As far as I can see, there aren’t too many other situations where we are invited to engage with what we see and, in turn, form meaningful connections with imagery.”

One of the most revolutionary events in 20th-century publishing was the advent in the 1930s of Penguin books – high-quality inexpensive paperbacks that successfully demonstrated that there was a large audience for serious reading-matter. A large part of its success was down to the impact of its covers, which were the inspiration of London-based designer David Pearson.