The Graphic Design Equivalent of an Existential Crisis — “Challenges of Living Among Humans” by Derick M. M. Lewis
Here lies a cover that whispers in Times New Roman:
“Design is a human construct, and I reject it.”
Derick M. M. Lewis’s Challenges of Living Among Humans arrives at our visual doorstep with all the personality of a printer test page and the warmth of a DMV office waiting room. It’s not just minimalist—it’s aggressively indifferent. One can only assume the designer (if such a person existed) viewed the concept of visual hierarchy and said, “Not today, Satan.”
Let’s start with the blue, black, and red color bars, which appear to have been dragged across the canvas with the same care one uses to select socks in the dark. They create the visual cadence of a warning label, or the branding for an international meat-packing conglomerate. Neither mood is ideal for a collection of dramatic stories.
And speaking of that descriptor—”a collection of dramatic stories”—there it is, politely excusing itself between two giant blocks of existential emptiness. The kind of text placement that says, “I’m contractually obligated to be here, but emotionally I left three edits ago.”
The typography is pure, untouched Times New Roman, as if the cover were typeset by a college freshman too afraid to change the Word default. It dares you to judge it, and then immediately dares you to care.
But the true triumph? The fact that this layout was clearly designed with a ruler and a total disregard for art. It’s not bad in a flamboyant, memeable way—it’s bad in a way that makes you question whether you are the problem for expecting more.
Conclusion:
This cover doesn’t just fail to sell the book. It fails to acknowledge it wants to be sold. It looks like it was laid out by a disillusioned AI trying to understand humans through minimal effort and maximal confusion. And honestly? That might be the most honest thematic tie-in of all.
Suggested Redesign Direction:
Let the title shine. A sardonic or conceptual illustration—a humanoid figure confused by social norms, an alien trying to parallel park, a surrealist dinner party—anything would do. Give it a visual narrative. Give it… a pulse.