This cover design was a personal project responding to Jonathan Safran Foer’s thought-provoking non-fiction book Eating Animals, which interrogates the ethics of meat consumption and industrial farming practices. The book blends memoir, investigative journalism, and philosophical inquiry, making it a rich foundation for a visually layered and concept-driven cover.

My goal was to visually interpret the central themes of life, death, and moral complexity. The design juxtaposes beauty and decay - florals blooming from a human skull, observed by a curious bird - to reflect the uneasy coexistence of nature and human intervention. The skull references mortality and ethical reckoning, while the flowers and bird suggest renewal, awareness, and natural interconnectedness.

I began by using The Met’s public domain collection for inspiration and selected Prelude to a Civilization by Victor Brauner (1954) as a guiding visual and conceptual reference. Brauner’s surrealist approach and subdued palette echoed the emotional and philosophical tones I wanted to capture. I aimed to evoke intrigue in readers encountering the cover while prompting reflection on the core question of the book: should we stop eating animals?

This project pushed me to think critically about how visual symbolism can carry complex ethical and ecological narratives, and how book design can contribute to meaningful conversations.