Timeless stories
Classic literature book covers for the «Timeless Stories. Pocketbook. White Series», designed for Russian publisher MIF (Mann, Ivanov and Ferber). The series was launched in autumn 2024 as a collection of softcover pocketbooks, combining a minimal white visual system with surrealist collage and symbolic imagery. The series so far includes such classics as The Invisible Man, Moby-Dick, 1984, A Study in Scarlet, The Master and Margarita, and Crime and Punishment.
The concept was built around the idea of translating the key conflicts and symbols of each novel into a concise visual language. Each cover uses a limited composition of black-and-white imagery, textured silhouettes, and carefully placed color accents, while the front and back covers form a visual dialogue. Rather than illustrating the plot literally, the collages reinterpret recognizable scenes, characters, and objects through surreal combinations of images. The challenge was to make affordable softcover editions feel visually distinctive and collectible while maintaining a consistent identity across the entire series.
Read the interview about the making of the White Series →
The White Series was developed as an alternative to MIF’s flagship gift series, Timeless Stories. These are compact, softcover editions. The series features both Russian and international literary classics.
Original collages were created specifically for the series and adapted into minimalist designs for the spines.
The series is inspired by a love for surrealism — including the work of early 20th-century soviet avant-garde artists —while its aesthetic leans toward modernism in terms of typography and minimalist design.
