Arun Gokul gives Malayalam literature its catchy book covers

Book cover designer Arun Gokul says that when it comes to the attention book cover designers get in Kerala, it is 1/8 demy size. This measures 5.5 inches by 8.5 inches, and is the traditional measurement of a book like a textbook or a novel.   

It is a sobering thought considering that a book cover, usually, serves as an introduction to a book sitting on a bookshelf — library or a bookstore. He is referring to how book cover designers in Kerala, home to several publishing houses, go unacknowledged. “What we do is essentially helping in the branding of the book; a cover is akin to packaging the ‘product’, which the book is.”  

It is as simple as when a novel or any writer’s work meets success, when it is appreciated by critics and readers alike; it goes on to win accolades and is feted. And, usually, nobody knows the person who has designed the cover. The thing that made one pick up the book, and invite the reader into the world created by the author. 

Arun has been designing covers for close to 20 years. Among the 1,200-odd book covers he has designed are those for authors such as Madhavikutty, M Mukundan, Anand, MT Vasudevan Nair, Hari Nandan, Sheela Tomy, and Haritha Savitri.  

Arun Gokul
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SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

“The covers I design are not only an introduction to the books but also to me as an artist.” Arun stumbled onto this while studying at Catholicate College, Pathanamthitta. “I got the chance to design the cover for the college magazine, which was noticed and got me attention. I got a kick out of getting noticed,” he says over the phone from Thiruvananthapuram, where he works as a creative designer with C-DIT (Centre for Development of Imaging Technology). He has not formally studied art, but he has honed his skill with constant practice.  

Piqued by curiosity about this new form of creative expression, Arun began designing mock covers for novels. He was experimenting with what he could do and how, taking printouts of these and sending them to publishing houses like DC Books, which led to his first book cover for Cheru Marmarangal by R Sreelekha, retired Director General of Police, published in 2005 by DC Books. Since then, work-wise, there has been no turning back for him. 

He has had the opportunity to work on the covers of some of the popular books of contemporary Malayalam literature. “A book cover is also a work of art,” he says. He concurs that a factor could be that some resort to printouts from the Internet or AI to generate creative work. His clever use of typography and colour convey what the book is about

Bookcovers designed by Arun Gokul
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This does not seem like a job, rather a book lover’s fantasy. Imagine getting to read books even before they are out! Arun says, “It is not possible to read all the books that I design the covers for. Usually the editors send me a synopsis or a voice note about the book; that is all I have to work with, most of the time. Sometimes it is only the name of the book… Also, one may not have the time to read the book before designing the cover.” That is not to say that he does not get to read before designing a cover. 

For instance, when he had to redesign the covers of Muttathu Varkey’s works to target a newer audience, it helped that he was familiar with the writer’s works. He had to work on everything from the colour palette: “When you are introducing a writer, especially of that stature, to a new audience, you need to be as aware of the trends and the works. Having the editor’s inputs makes the work infinitely easier.” The covers, therefore, are brighter and more vivid, the kind that would arouse curiosity. 

A book cover designer extends the invitation to the world the author has created, and Arun says, recognition or not, he loves opening the door to worlds created by others.