Blood in the Sink:

A Redesign of Foe's Dustjacket

Abstract

Foe is a novel that subverts expectations and builds on a continuous feeling of tension that is never resolved, even at the end of the book. When redesigning the dustjacket, it was essential to take the tension and translate it visually. A particular scene stands out in the novel. Junior flosses his teeth and forcefully brings down the floss on his gums to make himself bleed, and he spits the blood out into the sink. While it may not be the most crucial scene in the novel, it felt personally the most jarring. Junior reveals that he feels alive seeing his blood in the sink. He is living and breathing like a human being. The twist is that he is not a human at all, but this scene disputes that. What makes us human? What makes us alive? Arguably, our lifeblood makes us alive. Visually, the red stands out and is striking. It brings up questions for the viewer: who is bleeding? Why is this the cover? The title, Foe, is slightly faded and blends in with the background of the sink. The enemy could be anywhere or anyone. The floss turns red in the blood, representing the red string of fate from Greek mythology. Junior does not have a choice throughout the events of the novel. He is fated to be replaced and eventually is the replacement. Terrance and Outermore act as the Fates and decide when the string is cut, signifying his death and end.

Department: Design Studies 

Faculty Mentor: Constanza Pacher