Shepard Fairey's covers for Orwell's Animal Farm and 1984

Shepard Fairey (OBEY) has designed a pair of covers for the new Penguin editions of Orwell's Nineteen-Eighty-Four and Animal Farm. They're absolute knockouts, and just in time: these books need to be read today. Link (via MeFi)

I write books. My latest is a YA science fiction novel called Homeland (it's the sequel to Little Brother). More books: Rapture of the Nerds (a novel, with Charlie Stross); With a Little Help (short stories); and The Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow (novella and nonfic). I speak all over the place and I tweet and tumble, too.

MORE: Art and Design • Happy Mutants

More at Boing Boing

Eurovision 2013: An American in London

The technology that links taxonomy and Star Trek

Evil Jim

1984 is a fantastic book. I absolutely hate it. It’s one of those stories I think everyone should read at least once. There are many warnings to heed & take to heart within.
flamingphonebook

The guy who wants us to obey giant doing the 1984 cover: irony.
Anonymous

And a post about the so-called fluff piece on Shepard Fairey written by Jamie O’Shea
http://www.myartspace.com/blog/2009/02/jamie-oshea-obeys-shepard-fairey-by.html
zikman

haha, that’s funny because I was just reading this article
http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2008/04/14/excellent-book-covers-and-paperbacks/
and his illustration is featured there too…
drivenbyboredom

While I am a Fairey fan I think it is pretty amazing that he is doing the 1984 cover. One of his most reused images is the BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING poster from the 1956 film version of 1984. He pretty much just stole the poster and made it his own.

I loved that poster from 1984 and had a post card of it hanging above my bed as a kid. Later in life I became Fairey fan and when I had the opportunity I bought one of his posters with that iconic image. It hangs above my bed currently.

I just think it is appropriate that one of the images he appropriated was from a film version of a book that he is now getting paid to design.

As far as Fairey’s plagiarism goes, this article, while I don’t really agree with most of it, is very worth reading.

http://www.art-for-a-change.com/Obey/index.htm
Anonymous

a post on his so called plagarism, http://www.supertouchart.com/2009/02/02/editorial-the-medium-is-the-message-shepard-fairey-and-the-art-of-appropriation/
gobo

Yep, that’s Shepard Fairey all right. As a graphic designer, I’m a tad envious of the idea of someone like Fairey getting paid handsomely to re-use their ‘signature style’ for clients across the board; folks dig it, and what an easy way to keep the paychecks rollin’ in!

“Let’s see… got my signature dark red swatch loaded up, my star motif, my barbed wire, my radiating sun-rays, my CD of woodcut clipart… cut and paste aaaaand done! Who’s next.. Led Zeppelin, okay…”

(disclosure: I dig his style)
mbimotmog

I hate to say it but given the impressive history of covers-as-art that stretches back behind both books, these Obey covers are pretty tame and underdeveloped–especially the pig in Animal Farm.

If it’s a modern cover or nothing, I’ll take Steadman’s “Animal Farm” any day.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0151002177/ref=sib_dp_pt#reader-link
oscar

Well, if it gets “the kids” to check out these books I guess that’s good, but it’s all icing and no cake, if you ask me.
techbuzz

@drivenbyboredom beat me to the shepard fairey plagiarism link.

The posters look great, but I’m not sure why BoingBoing remains such a Fairey supporter given how hard they’ve come down on artists exposed of plagiarizing in the past.
Marshall

Not only is Fairey a blatant plagiarist, but at this point, design-wise, he’s totally phoning it in. It’s a shame that the post on the excellent and imaginative Jordan Crane design posted earlier has to share the same as this hack work.
Philo Beddo

I understand that this style is his brand, and I have to respect his ability to build and promote said brand, but jeez- try and stretch a little once in a while. Everything this guy churns out looks the same. It’s like a robot is doing it.

A red and black robot. With a star on it somewhere.
Maurik

*sigh*… communists.
xxxxxx

Shepard Fairey stopped being cool in the late 90′s. Ironically the greatest piece of work hes ever created was his simple Andre The Giant design which he also copied. Shepard has become somewhat of a joke among graffiti artists and unfortunately inspired legions of untalented hacks who cant draw, but can photo copy found imagery and call themselves ‘artists’. (see Faile)

Links breaking down Faireys plagirism:

http://www.rt-fr–chng.cm/by/ndx.htm

http://www.brghtnghts.cm/blg/?pg_d=46
David Newland

“These books need to be read today.”

Mmm-hmm. Because the problem with today is, people who haven’t read these books.

Of course anyone who HAS read these books is okay, right? Aren’t they?
foofoodoodoo

#12, I would like to draw your attention to this article on logical fallacies.
Rich

I absolute hate Shepard Fairey. What a fucking hypocrite.

What was once an interesting comment on mass-media and advertising in public space, completely turned around into a fucking ‘hip’ fratboy clothing line with a giant, illegal advertising campaign. And of course everybody loves him for it.

Fuck that guy.
Jardine

It’s my understanding that all of George Orwell’s books are public domain in Canada (life plus 50 years). So get all of his books Canadians.