My project for course: Introduction to Book Cover Design

This is my final project for this course. I chose to design and illustrate the cover of the book "Querida Konbini" or ("Convenience Store Woman" in english) by Sayaka Murata. The book follows the story of Keiko and those around her and depicts several issues facing Japanese society today: the pressure to conform, labor shortages, and a decreasing marriage rate.
I wanted to portray the routine and comfort that Keiko gets from being in the Convenience store (like a portal to her own little world) and how plain the outside world is to her. I used an Onigiri (rice ball) because it was when a man carrying a bunch of onigiri went to her register to pay that she finally felt like she'd found her place ;)