Design Process

Research Phase

During the initial phase, I immersed myself in the narrative of Michel Houellebecq's Sérotonine, which follows a man slowly losing his capacity for happiness due to the side effects of medication, leading him to emotional numbness and isolation. My goal was to capture this emotional trajectory visually.

• Explored core themes: emotional numbness, the gradual loss of happiness, and psychological spirals.

• Drew visual inspiration from vintage fashion magazines from the 1950s-60s, particularly fascinated by their bold and exaggerated facial features used to captivate readers.

• Chose a soft, melancholic light blue color palette to symbolize calmness, introspection, and underlying sadness.

Experimentation Phase

In this phase, I experimented extensively with visual representations to communicate the narrative effectively.

• Created multiple concept sketches featuring exaggerated mouths, symbolic of happiness and emotional expression.

• Developed the final composition with seven prominently smiling mouths juxtaposed with one numb, emotionless mouth to emphasize the protagonist’s emotional deterioration.

• Refined typography and layout choices, ensuring readability while evoking a nostalgic yet modern feel inspired by vintage magazine aesthetics.

Implementation Phase

In the final execution, I meticulously brought the chosen concept to life across the entire book design, ensuring coherence and emotional resonance.

• Digitally rendered high-quality visuals, incorporating the finalized mouth illustrations as central elements.

• Extended the design cohesively across the front cover, back cover, spine, and inner pages, using a repeated smiling-mouth pattern on the inside covers to reinforce the theme.

• Ensured consistent application of the light blue color to create a unified visual identity, with careful consideration of print accuracy and digital consistency.

This approach allowed the book's design to not only visually narrate the protagonist’s emotional decline but also invite readers to experience the layered emotional nuances of Houellebecq’s powerful storytelling.