A Rejected Cover - 1

A cover which is rejected. A weave of 5 photographs, all of whom are taken by Saibal Das in various parts of the country...the red dots are dye cuts which could have looked striking as well...

The Curious Case of 221B

This one has a minimalist treatment with a dye cut in the middle part through which the shadow of Holmes and Watson creep through. The background has also got a special treatment with a silvery shade. One of the books best seen when taken in and felt by hand. I hope the Harper guys do a great production job as they had done in Arzee. I am curious to see this one once it is out.

Shorts 1

This is a contribution to Drigangchoo, a new magazine being launched at JU. This is a short piece done in an old style since then abandoned by me ... i am now trying out a different graphic style for my graphic novel, which seems to be forever in production ... still i want to feel satisfied myself before publishing anything ...

Arzee the Dwarf

Chandrahas wanted a different shot which was also beautiful (somehow more ethereal!) but i thought that the last one in this line of options here would do better... so armed with the camera i spend three days on the streets of Kolkata and Chandannagar to create an ambience which should pass off as Mumbai...the hand that lit the cigarette is an accidental shot which was there way back from my JU days...the picture of the goat is courtesy francis mascarenhas, a young mumbai lad who is a very talented photographer, and whose work can be seen here at http://shadows77.deviantart.com ... the highrises are distorted kolkata, the slums from my hometown ... it shows how india is so common in an uncanny way...i am really proud of doing this cover... it took a lot of time and saugata, chandrahaas really provided me with imputs that made the cover what it is today... other editors would have put it off but kudos to saugata for his decision to stick to it ... there is a bit of irrational in the cover which is like the book as well...this one is hell of a book ... mark my words ... chandrahaas will go a long way.

Nothing is Blue

Have I captured the brilliant premise of this novel? I am just concerned with that and will be digging for answers for a month or so. There is also a site designed by me and developed by Ritwick: www.nothingisblue.com

Socialism is Great

A cover i think I will cherish! I need to thank Saugata for giving me this one...do keep it coming.

Tandoor Cinders

This is a cover which i enjoyed designing...dark brooding with subtle surreal touches...

Typhoon & The Holy Woman

I have tried to experiment again with a different graphic treatment that relies heavily on Illustrator. Moreover, it is always a challenge to faithfully recreate the cultural ethos of a different country that in a way, captures the essence of the book.

The Bioscope Man

When I first entered the JU campus, I heard about a guy called Indi who had quite a cult following. I never saw him or for that matter, even if I did, couldn't remember him. Then came all those music reviews that shaped my cd shelf and I am still grateful to Indrajit Hazra for my early love for music. The Burnt Forehead of Max Saul was a bit of a letdown, although I liked its tone...The Garden of Earthly Delights followed and I still think this undiscovered gem didn't get its due worth although it may have been a tad overwrought...I still follow his editorial writings and expect a really good novel from him. This one is surely promising...I would have loved to work more on the sepia cover although it was not chosen...

3 Zakia Mansion

The spread above was finally chosen although I also like the the other one...The photograph was shot at one of my favourite haunt at Chandannagar...who knows how long it may stay that way...

Families at Home

Families at Home by Reeti Gadekar to be published by Harper Collins was shortlisted for the ManAsian Literary prize 2007. This cover is a welcome change from all the "proper" stuff I was doing for a long long time. This IS my style...with blood on the tracks...

Trying to Grow

I literally gave up hope of doing this cover as I was fiddling with stereotyped cover ideas...It is a melange of images taken from the place where I get inspired every moment: the comics. The drawing is not greatly different from available comics but when put on the cover of a book like that of Kanga's, it works remarkably well. There will be more subtle manipulations and they will put up whenever done.

The Silent Raga

Saugata and I are gradually developing into a great team...just like I share a great synergy with Ajanta. He is like a dream editor who gives you a lot of space. I enjoy the constructive process of putting a cover together which is fun, really. This is a very good book and I think it deserves every bit of accolade it is getting worldwide. Sometimes I wonder how unlike me are my covers...the hard-hitting ones are waiting to be born.

Books by Kunal Basu - Redux

This is how the covers stand after redoing it with that extra splash of colour. The golden colour will be embossed to give it a more exclusive look. I have tried to maintain a consistent series look to all the books to give it an identity of its own...

Books by Kunal Basu

Originally I thought of minimalist covers... In fact, Racists cover idea was immensely liked by Saugata. However, Kunal wanted more colour and I changed my mind...

Lacan Seminar 2

It is a pleasure to do posters for Santanuda, my teacher at Jadavpur. His only brief, for the second time on a trot (please refer to the archives for Lacan Seminar 1) - do whatever you like. This magical brief never fails to produce the desired effect. I always feel free while designing posters for Jadavpur University - the place which nurtured my creativity and made me feel at ease. In both the posters I like James Joyce's pose, a man with whom I can connect the most.

The Japanese Wife

This book of exceptional short stories by Kunal Basu is about to be released in January from Harper Collins India. I have tried to convey the sublime romance in the title story though small details of Japanese miniatures amidst warm shades. The pictures are from the forthcoming film The Japanese Wife directed by Aparna Sen which is sure to make the book quite popular. Earlier I tried the vertical Japanese style lettering but that seemed to overwhelm the whole cover. As always, sheer simplicity speaks more...

Black Chin White Chin

The cover of this forthcoming book is a real toughie... so for a change just concentrated on the tone of the book specially the colour texture which if used innovatively can capture the atmosphere of a narrative like nothing else... In final analysis, I think saugata also made the correct decision of concentrating on a single image balanced by the large typo at the bottom. The end result, I think, is quite nice...

The Observant Owl

I simply love the subversive quality of the original book which remains a perennial favourite. It is an extremely tough (almost impossible) book to translate and I am personally amazed by the audacity of the person who even attempted to have a go. It is a fitting tribute to Hootum that Swarupda, who possesses an edgy humour behind his seemingly "proper" demeanour, has done the honours. I also have a secret desire to see Hootum on screen and expect an equally spunky person to create that classic. The cover just plays around with open white space which in a way is thematically antithetical to the plethora of characters that crowd the book. In a way, this book introduces the imprint Black Kite which in future may be a landmark for Permanent Black - one of the few publishers in India who can marry academia with popular appeal without compromising too much... Whatever, their logo remains one of the best I have even seen and it is a privilege to see my name by the side of such a killer logo.

Worldview Critical Companion - 1

For a long time during the beginning of my designing career, I worked a lot on Worldview critical companions. It gave me a chance to redo a lot of classics... However, now I would have done them differently...