Minimalist Book Covers For 2001, Dune, Neuromancer, And More

By David Wharton | Updated

This article is more than 2 years old

2001The whole “minimalist art” thing has been applied to pop culture and science fiction quite a bit in recent years. There’s just something appealing about trying to break down an object or idea into its most basic components, to try and evoke its essence with as few elements as possible. We’ve seen the concept applied to iconic sci-fi weapons, famous scientists, and even the Doctor’s sonic screwdrivers. The latest spin on the idea: minimalist book cover designs for some of the genre’s most noteworthy tomes.

The minimalist designs are courtesy of graphic designer Nicolas Beaujouan, and are part of his so-called “Ultimate Geek Selection.” Up above we’ve got the ominous electronic eye of HAL 9000 from Arthur C. Clarke’s 2001: A Space Odyssey — a pretty obvious choice, but a good one nonetheless. Some of Beaujouan’s other choices are similarly easy to grasp, such as H.P. Lovecraft’s At the Mountains of Madness or Max Brooks’ World War Z.

MountainsMadness

WWZ

Others are more abstract, such as William Gibson’s Neuromancer or Edwin A. Abbot’s Flatland.

Neuromancer

Flatland

My personal favorites are a pair of his more clever designs: the ever-present gaze of Big Brother from George Orwell’s 1984 and the uneven odds of Richard Matheson’s I Am Legend.

1984

IAmLegend

You can see the rest of Beaujouan’s “Ultimate Geek Selection” on his website, and it’s worth looking at his other stuff as well; he’s got some very cool retro movie poster designs as well.