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Chapter 2

Data Analysis

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Chapter 2

DATA ANALYSIS

2.1 Introduction

History of the human race itself is the history of the language. Language is the

building stone of the human society. The culture and the existing languages or the

dialects of the language are very much related always, like the two sides of a coin. The

execution of the language is possible only through a medium. The process of execution of

language through any media is a communication. Communication is always defined in

terms of sender-message-receiver. The message needs a vehicle to be communicated and

that vehicle or channel is the medium. Semiotics considers Language as system of signs.

Semiotics concerned prominently with the inception, process and laws governing of the

process of signs.

From the starting decades of 21st century humans started to become consumerists

in all its aspects. Lives of the people in every society in one way or another very much

influenced by the consumerism and the so called consumer culture. Man tries to get

noticed by himself in the society within he lives. When he tries to get attention for his

commodities and services to achieve his goal, he seeks the aid of different methods. And

these methods are always being effective and showing the elements of some upcoming

trends in the society. One of these different methods is the usage of signs, signals and

symbols etc. I found I could say things with colour and shapes that couldn’t say any

other way – things I had no words for (Georgia O Kecfe, 1988).


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Always these signs could do something beyond the words. Signs, signals and

symbols are the alphabets of semiotics. (George Yankovsky 1969). Yankovsky continues

all the multifarious phenomena of the world about us convey information, the material

bearer of which is a signal. Pulses of current, the letters of this book, photographs in

newspapers, the bio electric currents of the brain are all signals. Signs are variety of signals.

A sign is comparatively easy to identify but at the same time it is very difficult to

describe. The retrieving system of the individual who retrieves a sign is always

influenced by many external subjects such as anthropology, sociology, ethno linguistics,

myth, philosophy, logistics, psychopathology, aesthetics etc. Sign and type of signs can

easily present an abstract theme in more realistic mode. When we read the signs of a

book jacket illustration, the relationship between signifier and signified is a main locus of

art: the designer is building illustrations with colours and different images or combination

of images what we called signifiers on the one hand and meanings on the other hand what

we called signified. And the relationship between the visuals and meanings are

fascinating.

This chapter aims to analyze the book jacket illustration using the general theory

of signs. General theory of signs considers language as social system of signs. Present

study considers book jacket illustration as a form visual language combined of various

signs. Charles W Morris has given an investigation method to analyze the syntactic,

semantic and pragmatic relations of linguistic and non-linguistic signs. Book jacket

illustration is made up of the elements such as typography, colour, illustration, image etc.

And the expected idea could be transferred an impact on the readers by these so-called

signs.


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Signs are not related to the things or states of the world they appear to be designate,

but they stand in front of, quieter intents words and deeds (Marshall Blonsky 1985). A sign

is comparatively easy to identify and define but it is difficult to describe. The retrieving

system of an individual is always asides many variables like culture, life status etc. The

emotional bond made between the reader and the book through the book jacket

illustration is a prompt emotional aspect of meaning. So the sign inbuilt in the book

jacket illustration is better to be understand and interpret by the aspect of anthropology,

sociology etc.

The signs, concerned by the present study are pictorial and coloured form of

information. It is to say the signs of book jacket illustration are the shaped, lined and

coloured form of information. The book jacket illustration through its signs says easily

about the content of the book. The signs can speak or make the observer know much

more over the written expressions. For the written and spoken discourses there should be

a common medium of language. And for the members of different linguistic society can

understand common signs. The sign presentation in the form of visuals makes the

communication easier.

Signs are commonly used in, and are the base elements of the advertisements.

Advertisements are the deciding factors of today‟s business. Signs become the inevitable

part of everyday life in a passive mode. The brand identity can effectively and exigently

present through the appropriate use of signs. The linguistic/ non linguistic, cultural/ non

cultural elements can be presented effectively through the signs. The word signs refers

anything bears a meaning. Semiotic terminology (www.uvm.edu) defines sign as the

smallest unit of meaning; anything that can be used to communicate. So it is possible to


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say that the whole or element of book jacket illustration is a unit of meaning. The signs in

book jacket illustrations can be iconic or indexical signs because the elements of book

jacket illustration corresponds its idea as it and sometimes matches the effect of the

presented idea.

The types of signs that we could recognize from daily life are unending. Signs are

capable of communicate the social, cultural and political messages and the process by

which signs are getting signified is the subject matter of Semiotics. Contemporary

Semiotics gives also priority to the construction and reality of the sign systems and its

signification with the mode of its communication.

Semiotics more than the semiosis or the process of signification, Semiotics helps

to improve the communicative elements of each and every product or service. Semiotics

is able to open our eyes to see the brand perception of any products „or services‟ in the

consumers‟ minds and also when we think of the image of the label or logo of the brand

or covering of the product in isolation. Even the interpretation and perception of colours

depends on the cultural background. Like colour every object that could be stand for

another meaning are not independent at the level of perception. The book jacket

illustration is the designed cover of the book. The book jacket illustration composed of so

many signs such as, colour, shapes, fonts, images etc. All these constituent parts‟

perception depends on the factors like culture, previous experiences etc. Semiotics

understands and gets the meaning changes. In the consumer world Semiotics is

considered as a tool to make differences in developing brand emotion.

Semiotics assists brand growth on two levels. The first is to identify ways for a

brand to communicate more clearly with consumers by learning their language. The


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second is to determine where a product category or market is evolving to in the search

for new positioning territories or even product innovation. (www.added-value.com)

Learning „their languages‟ means understanding the cultur and attitudes towards life of a

particular group of people. The positioning of the new innovation is also defined through

Semiotics. Semiotics can tell the product or service, on what level and how it is going to

be at the territory, it has to be. The leading or the being position of a product in the

market or in a culture of a particular society.

The CCTV intelligence operator, Greg Rowland says Semiotics is a way of

studying culture where all images, language and symbols impact upon each other.

(www.ft.com). The present study‟s concern is book jacket illustration. Book jacket

illustration is formed of different signs and these sign does not have an independent status

too. In together they exert meaning. So book jacket illustration is totally considered as a

visual or image. Images provide means of communication and representation of some

meaning full messages. Semiotics allows retrieving these hidden messages. Charles

Pierce (1955) analysed the notion of signs to reveal underlying components.

The product design is being an integral part of the consumer world. It defines the

market for the product. Semiotics helps the Semiotic consultant to understand the aspects

of communication in the design of a product; here the design is book jacket illustration.

Illustration of the book jacket is the making of a design in terms of content of the book.

Book jacket illustration discloses the separate approach of perception. The book cover

designer provides insights through the flexibility and the level of perception of the

content of the book through book jacket illustration. Thus Semiotics of the book jacket


http://www.added-value.com/

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illustration open up with the visual grammar and its connotative and denotative meaning

level in cultural and societal context by explicating the linguistic and no-linguistic signs.

So the analysis of book jacket illustration with the concepts of General theory of

signs tries to draft with the Semiotic aspects of the design context of the book jacket

illustration and its influences and effects in publishing world.

Thus this chapter of the present thesis includes the analysis of the selected book

jackets based on the general theory of signs by Charles W Morris (1971). And it is the

study of syntactic, semantic and pragmatic relations of linguistic and non-linguistic signs.

Morris says language has been defined not only by the combination of its signs but also

by the rules which govern the origin, uses and effects of its signs.

Morris explains language as system of signs and it produces dispositions in social

behaviour. In Foundation theory of signs (1938), Morris describes the aspects of

Semiosis. The sign process of signification is semiosis. As per the General theory of signs

by Charles W Morris, semiosis is the process by which sign vehicles function as signs.

And the sign vehicle is the object or event function as signs. So the process of the object

or event is being signified is semiosis and Semiotics is the study of the semiosis. Morris

explains four components of semiosis such as sign vehicle, designatum, the interpretant

and the interpreter. Along with these Morris invents one more word denotatum and it is

the actually existing object or event which is denoted by the sign.

And the syntactic rules of the sign determines the combinations of signs and the

semantic rules to determine the conditions under which signs may be applicable to

objects or to situations and the pragmatic rules determine the conditions under which sign

vehicles may function as signs.


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These are the key concepts of the theory of Charles W Morris.

Book jacket illustration is a combo sign. Combo sign is a short term used for the

sign composed several signs. Semiotic consultants use the word combo sign to refer the

combination signs. That is the objects of a book jacket illustration are performed as signs

are combined and give the totality of their signification. Some signs of book jacket

illustration are being signified in isolation too. So this study analyzed the signs of book

jacket illustration in together and also in isolation.

Stuart Hall (1997) in the essay the work of Representation, says The meaning is

constructed by the system of representation…. representation is the process by which

members of a culture use language to produce meaning When concern semiosis of the

book jacket illustration, it can be counted as representative sign. Representative sign is

something stands for some other thing, a company, an organization, a city etc. (The role

of logo design in creating brand emotion: A semiotic comparison of the Apple and IBM

logos 2010,). Book jacket illustration is being observed and analyzed by the people who

share some cultural similarities. The data for this study can definitely be counted as

representative signs.

Culture is the collective form of group of people‟s life style, communication

methods or language, customs within a time period. Culture is always changing process.

The life style, language etc of a group people are at phase of continuous and random

changes. The group people, through their culture and its change form an identity and

become a society. Visual culture of every society works across the communicative

systems of the mass as well as minor group of the same society. And it is possible to say

that visual images and visual culture can play a major role in making an identity to the


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society or socialization in culture. Books and reading are said to be the building blocks of

every society. So book jacket illustration and its significance at both artistic level and

semiotic level have its own importance.

2.2 Data Analysis

2.2.1 nilathezhuthu

The book nilathezhuthu is a collection of thirty five spiritual articles. The author

of the book nilathezhuthu is a famous Malayali capuchin priest Fr.Boby Jose Kattikadu.

All the articles have biblical background. Theo books published nilathezhuthu in January

2006. Other than all cover selected for this study, this book does not give the name of the

book cover designer. Instead of that the publisher printed the name of the institution


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designed this book, that is Don Bosco igact. The writer of the book himself has selected

the image on the book jacket illustration for the same.

2.2.1.1 Syntactic Analysis

For this book, the book jacket illustration, the title and the content of the book are

related staggeringly. The visual of a woman‟s leg with a special type of anklet is the

leading image of the book jacket illustration. The woman is sitting on ground by holding

her left knee with her left hand. The colour of her cloth and the place on which she sits

are same; that is reddish maroon. The total visual has given in a black background. The

calligraphic font used for the title and the formal font for the author‟s name. The by-line

of the title has given at just top of the title. The name and place of the publisher has given

on the top of the front cover.

The back cover of the book presents the black and white photo of the author on

the top, then again title of the book and author‟s name. Following to the blurb the

previous books titles by the same author has given. The name of the writer who wrote preface

for this book is also given. At the lower side back cover the distributers name is there.

The two fallen red maple leaves are presented on the lower left side of the back

cover.

2.2.1.2 Semantic Analysis

The title of the book itself is ambiguitious. The term nilathezhuthu is contradictorily

used here. In Kerala cultural context the term is related to Hindu teaching tradition. And

the book is on Christian spiritual thoughts. But the author has given importance to live

spiritually without interfering the surrounding of a person. In biblical context the term


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resembles the story of Mariyam of Magdalena. Jesus wrote in sand, the sins committed

by the Jewish people who tried to kill Mariyam of Magdalena.

The author here uses the title also to combine the Hindu tradition with biblical

thought. And the word nilathezhuthu signifies the beginning level of knowledge. In

Indian culture, knowing the self is considered as the real knowledge. When Jesus says the

one who never commit a sin could throw stone on Mariyam of Magdalena is another

declaration of the importance of self awareness. The content of the book and the title of

the book signify the same concept. That is every article of the book purifies the reader‟s soul.

The foot of a woman sitting on the sand is directly signifies the Mariyam of

Magdalena. She is helpless and sitting on ground by holding her knees with her hand.

This posture implements the helplessness of woman who is waiting to be killed. The

anklet on the lady‟s foot is a special type. The north Indian tribes use this type of big

anklet. The symbols use to signify whores in India include the big anklet with small

clinking beads.

The reddish colour directly signifies the violence, prostitution etc. As the black

back ground signifies the ignorance of the society, the white colour of the typography of

course symbolize the lightened path by the articles of the book. Naturally fallen maple

leaves are yellowish in colour, the red maple leaves signifies the youthfulness of the

leaves or the scattered energetic thoughts included in the book.

2.2.1.3 Pragmatic Analysis

The title directly relates this idea with its contextual meaning. Self awareness is

idea of Indian traditional spiritualism. The Christ also demands for the self-awareness


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through the story of Mariyam of Magdalena. Every religion and the religious books try to

make awareness on the same idea through different ways. The title and the colour used

for the font of the title presents this message.

The red colour used on this book jacket illustration resembles the violence and

prostitution. The Jewish authority ordained Mariyam of Magdalena to kill by throwing

stone on her. The red colour always symbolizes bloodshed and murder. Prostitutes

usually use the red colour dresses to attract men and to get noticed easily.

The posture of the woman in the visual is insensitively waiting to accept her death

penalty. And it symbolize when the person is willing to accept his on negative side and

surrender to the God, he could expect the divine healing.

The anklet is the most celebrated symbol in the book jacket illustration. The

anklet used in the book jacket illustration in Indian concept stands for an identity of the

north Indian tribal ladies. The north Indian tribal ladies live a frustrated societal life

generally. The adjudication they face in their daily life is the result of the ignorance of

their authority. The author and his article equalize women and men before their creator.

The prostitutes are always neglected and degraded in society. And they always

adjudicated by the male members of the society. But judging and degrading only

prostitutes in society is never being justified as prostitution is joined-venture.

Red maple leaves can be associated with the liveliness of the articles included in

the book. This book other than the spiritual books targeted the young readers. The content

of the book is very much related with the human life.


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2.2.2parudeesanashatam


parudeesanashtam is a collection of short stories which discusses the difficulties

faced by the contemporary man in everyday life. Subhash chandhran is the author of the

book. The very well known book cover designer Zainul Abid designed the book jacket.

Writers name has given with higher importance on both front and back cover. The blurb

on the back cover and lines printed in Times of India by K. Satchidanandan also given on

the front cover. The joined visual of the broken egg at the top and the pregnant lady‟s

womb held in her two hands makes the book jacket illustration. The red colour is its back

ground with not explicable lines. The word parudeesanashtam means the lost Eden.


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The title of the story of the man who forgets the womb of his mother on the way

to lab for testing the womb is parudeesanashtam. When read the title of the book with

this story the visual get its complete meaning. The shattered egg symbolize the man‟s

urge to win the world by neglecting the manly values like love, duties, care and mother‟s

shelter. The broken womb stands for the mother‟s or the natures‟ offended concern. And

the held hands on the womb directly signify the real sincere concern of the motherhood.

Womb always stands as the signal of the real trust to every living man. The red colour

symbolizes the cruel mind settings as well as the mother‟s pain.


A visual loudly says that the womb is the lost paradise of the man. The shattered

egg as the broken womb held by two hands symbolizes the lost paradise which is the

basis of all problems of contemporary man. Likewise effort to bringing back the previous

experiences of the pas to the immature realities of the present is symbolized in this visual.

The hands which try to hold the broken womb or egg stand for the past glory, lost

liveliness etc.


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2.2.3 nammalkkidayil


Pavithran Theekuni is a famous Malayalam poet. His poems are realistic in nature. The

book nammalkkidayil presents a set of romantic poems. A torn parts of a hibiscus flower

completes the jacket illustration. The typography used to write the title of the book on the

book jacket is different and meaningful. The blurb, name and photo of the author and the

details of the publisher are other parts of the book jacket illustration. The separated parts

of the torn hibiscus flower scattered over the white surface and the cello tape used to join

the separated parts of the flower is worked up image. The red colour of the petal, the


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green colour of the stapes of the torn flower, and the yellow colour of the trampled

pollens and the white background are colour elements of the book jacket illustration.


Flowers always symbolize love. The poems are on denied and lost love and

separation. Every parts of the torn flower scattered depict the emotions and also people

who are haunted of the lost love. They always try to recollect the memories. The cello

tape resembles that the effort to recollect the memories and also depict the attempt to

regain the lost liveliness of the life. The yellowish colour of the trampled pollens stands

for the trampled creativity and dreams of the poet with the denied love. Creativity is

considered as the by product of romance. The typography used for the title is point out

the third person between the poet or narrator and lover.


The inability to reunite the fragmented lives of the hibiscus flower‟s calyx,

corolla, stapes, pollens etc makes the reader or viewer the uneasy and upset. The visual

presents before the observer the pain and frustration in the heart of the poet and poem.

The poems are dedicated to the wounds no more bleed and to the haunted love. The

trampled pollens are the signs of trampled and scattered dreams and aims of the poet at its

blooming level itself. The natural effect of every relation may loss when they retrieved

again and it is clearly depicted by the cello tape.


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2.2.4 sylable


The poems after the year 2000 collected and edited by Dr. M.B Manoj and Binu

Sachivothumapuram are published in the book sylable. Anil Vega, a famous book cover

designer designed the book cover for this book syllable. The typography used, the colours

used and the way they merged and the visual of the dishevelled hair decorated with rose

colour flower are the signs used in book jacket illustration. The by-line to the title of the

book, photos of the editors, blurb, and details of the publisher are the other visible

elements on the book jacket illustration.


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Champak flowers are considered with the mystery in Indian concepts on death,

rebirth etc. The dishevelled hair may stands for the unordered thoughts. The colour

combination of white and red, and black and yellow symbolize so called anarchy

followed by a group of people. The typography used to print the title sylable stresses the

word syllable. The Malayalam alphabet „la‟ of the word si-la-bil (sylable) printed with

black colour and the other letters of the word in white with red back ground on the front

cover. The alphabet „la‟ printed in yellow and others alphabets in white with black ground.


The life, life style and attitude of Kerala society have undergone a tremendous

change in all its aspects after the year of 2000. The unusual became usual in this period.

And the unusual decoration of the hair with champak flower clearly depicts that. And the

observer cannot identify the possessor of the unordered hair. Lengthy hair was the

identifiable mark of women clearly, but today men also started to make grow hair. This

signifies the visible and visible changes in the societal life and also the literary

movement. The colours used in the book jacket illustration and the typography have not

much to signify.


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2.2.5 havva mulappaal kudikkunnu


havva mulappal kudikkunnu is title of a poetry book written by the famous

Malayalam film director and script writer. The poems in the books treat the femininity

with a spiritual approach. The worldly famous painting of Eve in the Garden of Eden by

Anna Lea Merritt 1885 is leading visual in the book jacket illustration of the book havva

mulappal kudikkunnu. The number of the edition, the name of the publisher, the title,

name of the author and the visual are completes the front cover of the book jacket. The

combination of black and olden yellow gives a classic look to the back cover of the book


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jacket. Back cover consists of the name and photo of the book, the title of the book and

the blurb, name of the publisher and other details of the book and publisher, details of the

painting used in the visual and the opinions of other writers on the poems of havva

mulappal kudikkunnu are also given on back cover. All the poems are presented with

different images in this book; along with the book jacket illustration those pictures also

designed by Shanavas M. A.

The image of Eve sitting by keeping head to her own privacy, the thrown, half

bitten apple, and the red and yellow flowers around completes the book jacket

illustration.


The image of Eve sitting by keeping head to her own privacy stands for the

woman who celebrates her mother hood or femininity herself. When the visual relates

with the title, the image gets another signification. Eve cannot retrieve a nostalgic feeling

of nursing of her mother. She never experienced that. The womanliness or the femininity

and motherhood are the different facets of a woman‟s life. The posture of the Eve in the

illustration signifies the indefiniteness and its after effects of the femininity. The thrown,

half bitten fruit symbolizes the recall of the consciousness to the holiness even if Eve

tasted the forbidden fruit. The yellow and red flowers presented stands for both the

situations and witnesses.


The source of the title havva mulappal kudikkunnu itself is a result of a

revolutionary thought. The biblical background of the story behind the illustration raises


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a lot of questions. Tasting motherhood herself makes Eve her own mother with being the

mother of human race.

It is possible to give another attribute to the visual. Every man after he commits a

sin or faces a problem; seeks a consoling hand like his mother. Likewise after having the

forbidden fruit Eve finds herself as a shelter. The mother is truth, the one and only life in

all epic introduced without that truth is Eve.

2.2.6 aagolakaalavum vimarsanavum


This book comes under the genre literary criticism. Dr.P.Soman has presented his

views on the influence and effects of the globalisation in the literary field. The simple and


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meaningful book jacket illustration designed by Eswaran Namboothiri. A single image of

hook represents the whole content of the book. The black, blue and white colour

combination does not play a major role in bringing meaning alterations. As usual the

name and photo of the writer, details on the publisher and the blurb completes the book

jacket illustration. The black background and the hanged hooks are visual images on the

book jacket illustration.


The title of the book confuses the content and genre of the book. The title and the

image on the book jacket illustration associated the observer‟s perception suddenly with

criticism of the global face of contemporary life.

The black colour used in the book jacket illustration resembles the shield of

extreme influences of the global world on each and every life process.

The hanged hook stands for the visible and unnoticed trap.


Generally leftist thought criticizes anything and everything related to the word of

„global‟. The writer while evaluating or criticising the invasion of „global‟, the illustration

presents before the reader the entanglement of literature with this „global‟. The hanged

hook demands carefulness in each life situation. The hook on the book jacket illustration

uses to hang humans as the part of adoration known as garudan thookkam. The blind

imitation of globalization in the literature and everyday life are reflexes through hook.


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2.2.7 oru nagara pranaya kavyam


Sudhesh Kottambram has given a different look to this book cover. The first thing

noticed on this illustration is its title. The by-line has been given with more importance

than the title of the book. The typography used to write the title oru nagara paranaya

kavyam is attractive. Red and white colour used for fonts on a black ground. The leading

colour on the book jacket is yellow. The red colour of the flower is exposed at its utmost

level with effect of yellow. Fence in the illustration has been posses the dry ash colour.

The flower on the thorn fence is the real power of the book jacket illustration. The photo

and name of the author is on the back cover. The logo of the publisher is the only detail


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of the publisher has given on this book jacket illustration. The poet Kuzhoor Vilson is

living in abroad and wrote the poems from there.


The fence signifies the exile and refugee life. The flower on the fence stands for

the creativity of the author even in the exile. It may be the love and affection of the

author keeps for her life partner too. The poet or the narrator of the poem is very much

conscious about the life his life partner and their lives. But he can only help them

financially. The impuissance in giving the mental support is represented through yellow

colour. Yellow colour symbolizes slowed action, dullness, impuissance etc. The red

flower on the fence could say a lot on the bloom of the poem in the middle of the exile

life. The presentation of the single detail; the logo is another business trick. The emphasis

of the publisher in the case of a fruitful book is questioned here.


The exile is a life of self-styled immurement. The thorn fence says about the

invisible drub imprisonment of the life in abroad. The flourished creativity and poems are

the signs of every man‟s dream, who is living apart from his native for his family. The

by-line of the title is a question to the society and anxiety and insecurity of every person.

So the red flower exerts a ridicule grin to the changing values of the contemporary

society and demands a recall for revolutionary leftist so-called social equalities.


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2.2.8 manushyanu oru aamukham


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manushyanu oru amukham is a novel which discusses the life cycle of a person

completely. Novelist Subhash Chandhran draws the life of common Malayali and from

its ancestors. The story of the novel from starts with death of the hero and at the same

time the story within the story starts with the birth of the hero. A novel with

autobiographical elements written by the hero of the novel has been published after his

death and it is the storyline of the novel manushyanu oru amukham. This study analyses

two different covers of the same novel on its two editions. Zainul Abid designed both the

book jacket illustration.


The book jacket illustration completes the second page of the front cover of the

book. The front cover of the book jacket designed with the illustration of a woman‟s

genital. On the next part of the front cover there is visual of a dead body. The third part of

the front cover is again designed with the single image of the opened form of woman‟s

genital. The front and back cover designed in black and white colour. The title of the

book has given below to illustration open genital. The name of the author and the logo of

the publisher are other elements on the front cover of the book jacket. The second page of

the front cover designed with the photograph of a dead body. Same as the front cover the

title of the book has given below to the image of the dead body, and here the title

followed by name of the author. The back cover composed of name and photo of the

author, blurb and details of the publisher.


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When joining the illustration with the title, the designer takes the perception of the

observer to its extremity. The genital of a woman depicted as the door of the life. The

dead body of the second part of the illustration stands for the ignorance of the human

lives about its end. The illustration on the third part of the front cover simply signifies the

life cycle. Introduction or creation is beyond starting. The image of woman‟s genital after

the image of dead body open a way of hope.


The hero of the novel traces his history from his present status to his ancestry. But

the ancestry of him is revealed after his death to others and to the readers through the

novel, and novel in the novel. The observer expects a birth or an image of a new born

baby with the illustration on the front cover. The photograph of dead body on the place

expected for a newborn everything on the novel and the impuissance of human lives.


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2.2.9 manushyanu oru aamukham 2


This book jacket is designed with the magic combination white and ash. Red

colour has given for the spine of the book. The title of the book gives with the

completeness of the illustrations. The name of the author printed with red colour in

simple font. The logo of the publisher is also presented on the front cover.

The back cover has the photo and name of the author and the title of the book. It

also consists of the three different descriptions on the novel published in three Malayalam

illustrated weeklies.


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The photograph of a bed is used to design the illustration on the front cover. The

pillow, pillow cover, bed spread and the cover are visible on the photograph. And all the

covers are in white colour.


The title and illustration combined together to signify the introduction or the

entering to the life starts from the bed. And the white colour signifies the purity.


Introduction precedes the beginning. Where did man begin? A thought that

beginning was from beneath the blanket; and visual that symbolizes it. The central

character in the novel starts from his present state and moves backwards to narrate the

story to the roots of his ancestors. Between the novel and the visual there is a relationship

that defines explanation and the detachment.


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2.2.10 aathmahathya


The book celebrates suicide. It is a collection of the article on and by the

celebrities from every walks societal, cultural and literal world who were commit suicide.

Suicidal notes of somebody‟s are also included in this book. This book tries to relate

suicide and creativity. The book jacket illustration expanded through flaps too. Shanavas

M. A and N.P Sajeesh are the editors of this book. And one of the editors, Shanavas M. A

designed the book jacket.

The classic combination of black and olden yellow is used for book jacket and

flap. The red colour used in the back cover to print „emergency exit‟. Front cover of the

book embellished with the illustration of a person who passes the dead body lying

without head. The back cover of the book jacket has the photograph of the blade which

cuts the wrist or the vein on lower side and the photograph of the winging feathers from

the palm.


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The name and logo of the publisher is on the front and back cover. The title of the

book is given in bold formal fonts and printed with white colour. The by-line of the title

is in simple formal font and printed white colour. And also the name of the editors‟ is

given simple formal font and printed white colour. The description of the book in simple

and formal font printed in yellow colour. These are same on both front and back covers

of the book. The back cover of the book also comprises a part of the preface of the book

and the name of the writer who wrote preface.

Front flap of the book jacket composed of the black and white photos and names

of the editors and the list of the writers who wrote memoir, poems and articles on the

celebrities who committed suicide and also on suicide. The lower side of the front flap

consists of painting on the suicide of Cleopatra by Cagnacci in 17th

century. The back

flap of the book jacket presents the list of the celebrities who are the parts of this book by

committing suicide. And the back cover after the title and by-line of the title gives list of

the articles includes in this book. At the lower part of the back cover another phrase is

printed in red colour which equates the title of the book; emergency exit.


The denotative meaning of book jacket illustration itself is being a deep sensitive

and emotional experience to the observer. The illustration on the front cover signifies the

journey of the soul from the physical body. The abandoned dead body symbolize the

haunting life situation makes the person to demand a emergency exit from the world. The

photograph of the blade cuts flesh and the feathers winging from the palm combines and

depicts the comparatively small pain of death and the eternal happiness after the same.


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The winging feather stands for every person‟s need to be bloated simply over everything

weightlessly.

The painting on the Suicide of Cleopatra depicts here the suicide and its

celebration each known individual described in this book. The phrase emergency exit

signifies the demanded justification to suicide. And the red colour used to print the

emergency exit symbolizes the violence in suicide.


The feeling of neglected-ness and loneliness are the root causes of 95% of

suicides. The illustration on the front cover consists of a person looks the dead body after

passing that. Every suicide is the result of avoidance. And the look after passing the dead

body says the state of soul after passing the physical body. The painting on the suicide of

Cleopatra justifies the description of the book. The death is natural but suicide is

something creative. The cutting blade and bloodshed from the wound are the stepping

stones to the eternal freedom that is the winging feathers.

2.2.11 jiivitham

The book jiivitam has published as counter to the book aathmahathya. The

by-line of the book title, jiivitam (life) , murivettittum aathmahathya cheyyaththavante

vaakku (the word of the person who survived even after the wounded) and its just

opposite to the by-line of the title aathmahathya (suicide), jiivitam kond murivettavante

vaakku (the word of the who wounded of life). The book jiivitam consists of collected

essays on survival and on persons survived and achieved successful life even after the


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haunting threat in their life. The editors of the book jiivitam are Fr.J. Mundakkal and

Binse M Mathew. And the book cover is designed by Joseph Francis.


The book jacket of the book jiivitam is special. The book jacket does not have a

back cover and has two front cover with different illustrations. The reader could start

from the both sides of the book. And the book has flaps too. Both sides of the book

jacket consists of the title, the by-line of the title, description of the book, publishers

name and the name and contact number of book cover designer. This book jacket

illustration used the scope of meaning range of western fonts.

The face of book jacket with the subtitle “Its Life more than death” has the

combination colour of black and grey, but black colour brought out much. The book

jacket own vertical line of a colour spectrum type. The title of the book and its by-line

has employed humanist fonts to be written (the font type used for the title and by-line is

same in both sides of the book jacket). But the Sub title “Its Life more than death” has


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written in Slab serif fonts. Slab serif fonts are simple forms with relatively little contrast

between thick and thin. Slab serif fonts convey very specific and yet often contradictory

associations. The visuals on the book jacket are three pictures; the first one is a lady with

her child ;within colour and black and white at the same time, that is when it perceives

the blocks of the fonts of „Life‟ the observer could see it in colour, the other parts of the

picture is of black & white type. The next visual is of a hugging boy and girl who have on

masks on face. This visual is in colour. Next to this image one other girl is sitting and she

also wears a mask. But this image is in black and white..

The other face of the book jacket with the subtitle “Life everywhere” has also

expended the colour combination of black and grey fully. But the designer brought out

the scope of grey to the viewer. The subtitle of the book on this side of book jacket “Life

everywhere” has written with the geometric fonts. With “Life everywhere” the book

jacket has two visuals. One is the image of girl (in black and White) with a red rose. And

the other visual is of two hands which is trying to hold the last thread of a bursting rope.


The visual of the girl lying in a dried land with a red rose bud/flower in her hand

stands for the blooming life from a dried land. The red colour shows the elements of

confidence, vitality etc. The rose flower stands for the youthful life. This is a symbol of

the hope for a blossoming life even from the deadly miserable situations. The meaning of

the visual image of the breaking rope and the protecting hands has a wide range of

meaning. In Kerala there is a usage “avasaanatte kacciturump”. It means the last thread of

the hay. If somebody fell down in a well, he/she will try to escape by holding even the


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thread of the hay. So the hands which are protecting the rope can be related to the super

being, self confidence etc.

The colour green used in the title and subtitle also has some significance. Green is

the colour of life, earth, youthfulness etc. Both the title and subtitle have the meaning life.


By seeing the visuals on both the sides of the book jacket the observer will get a

clear „picture‟ of the same in his/her mind. The colour green represents life, nature,

fertility, well being etc. Green symbolizes the master healer and the life force. From by-

line and tag line of the book the read will get fine idea about the content of the book. The

reader may enunciate this idea with the book jacket illustration and he/she comprehends

almost everything about the book. But for him/her the description of it will be difficult


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2.2.12 meghapadalangal

Jyothis Narayan, a young designer designed the book jacket for the book

meghapadhanangal. meghapadhanangal is a collection of poems written by Sreekumar

Kariyadu, a poet of the young generation. The poems with all human emotions make the

readers to take deep breath sought after reading. Like the poems the illustration also

arouses a nostalgic mood. Malayali always club the thought of his childhood with rain,

onam, dragon fly etc. Almost all Malayalam film songs constitute these words. The

illustration on the book jacket of meghapadhanangal drew on the texture of mud. The

flying dragon files and the dropped dry leaves just before rain are the other elements of

the book jacket illustration.


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The dry land which expects for rain, the dragon flies starting to fly from the land,

and the dropped dry leaves are the elements what constitutes book jacket illustration. The

dry land, its yellowish colour, dropped dry leaves and the dragon flies are signs of this

particular book jacket illustration. As being the simple in presentation, the illustration is

capable to say everything about the content of the book and even the mind of the poet.

The dry land expects an immediate rain, the commenced fly of dragon flies denote the

same. And the dropped leaves say the presence of wind too.


The book jacket illustration designed on the background of texture of mud. The

texture and mud land signifies the mindset of the poet and also of the reader who

welcomes a change. The dragon flies signify the poet‟s urge to express his ideas in a

different way other than the classic style of writing. The dropped leaves signify the

abandoned, restricted classic style of writing. It also signifies the orthodox beliefs of the

readers mind. At the same time the orthodox thoughts (dropped dry leaves) and the new

narration of the poet (dragon flies started their flight from the dry land which expects the

freshness of the rain) says the hidden presence of wind and rain. The typography used in

the book jacket illustration is calligraphy and it is fruitful to contribute whatever it should

give to get the totality of the book jacket. The font used to write the title signifies the

humanness of the content of the book or the poetry.


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The literary world may show a tendency to restrict its path by some conventional

rules. When the new generation poets in a need to present their thoughts as it is they may

like to make their own style for that. The author of the book has written the poems

without following any conventional rule for the same. The young Malayalam poets

always want write for the common man. The book jacket illustration neatly drew the

outlook of the author. And the simplicity of the cover attracts the common readers too. The

present book jacket illustration signifies both the reader and the author. The reader waits for a

change and at the same time the author is ready to contribute that for the reader.

2.3 Conclusion

In this chapter 12 different selected book covers are analysed Semiotically based

on the general theory on science by Charles W Morris. Among th The 12 selected book

covers, 2 covers are the different covers of the same book manushyanu oru aamukham

and the book covers of the books aathmahathya and jiivitham have some opposite

relations because the book jiivitham is published as counter to the book aathmahathya.

The semiotic interpretation of the book covers at different levels like syntactic, semantic

and pragmatic levels of the visuals on the book jacket made it easily understandable. At

the syntactic level, it interprets the elements of the book jacket illustration combines to

form the total image and at the semantic level it find out the way by which the elements

or the total images itself relates to objects or to situations and at the pragmatic level it

discloses the conditions under which the semantically identified and syntactically

combined sign vehicles may function as signs.


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