Comparing and Contrasting

     Ah, the infamous Harry Potter. Debuting in my life during my elementary school years and culminating towards the end of my high school career, Harry Potter and the release of J.K. Rowling's books, grew up and transformed along with me. The first "Sorcerer's Stone" compared to the last "Deathly Hallows", looks unequivocally outdated and almost juvenile. The design of the first cover blatantly matches the times. Released in 1998, the original Harry is depicted very whimsically, complete with unrealistic human features, and an expression comparable to a Nickelodeon cartoon. The use of warm, rich tones, along with their juxtaposition creates a mood based around the idea of "fun fantasy". This in turn introduces Harry as a bright character with "cool" wizard powers. The cover is appealing to a younger audience. I would surmise the artist's intent was just that; by hooking young children, the series would have the ability to age with its readers. 
     As the books were released many things stayed consistent with their cover design. The same typeface was used for every novel. This resulted in viewers relating said font to the books. The lighting bolt P, used to start off "Potter" is automatically related to the book by people who have even the slightest idea of who Potter is. The artwork also remained very much the same, using the same drawing style, color pallet and having the artwork bleed from the front and back cover to the jacket flaps inside the book.      
     While the artwork is consistent in some ways, I noticed an evolution in the artwork. As Harry grows in the novels, so too does Harry's appearance. Also, the mood of the cover design moves from happy to the other side of the spectrum, dark and mysterious. While "Sorcerer's Stone" is very young, colorful and busy, "Deathly Hallows"depicts an adult Harry, with intense features and one central image of the novel's star. In comparing all seven of the works in a sequence, one can see the artwork's mood becoming more dark and simplified. The design becomes more centered on Harry and less centered on objects, people, and places the books are dealing with. When we come to the last novel all we see is Harry's adult figure. He has grown up before our eyes and has become our central focus as the series comes to an end. Where in the beginning we questioned the fate of fluffy, the three headed dog, or Harry's ability to fly on his broom, by "Hallows" we are focused simply on the fate of Harry alone. 
   In my opinion, I feel the artist's choice to keep aspects of her cover design consistent while allowing her art to transform and grow along side Harry, was a perfect way to execute her job. She managed to create icons to associate the books to, through use of typeface, while also depicting a symbolic message of who the book's focus is on by simplifying the content with each book release. I love to see how this simple idea of wizardly fantasy transformed itself into an epic thriller that now pollutes our big screens every couple years. 


Cred:
1.http://iwritealot.com/2010/04/07/j-k-rowling-harry-potter-and-the-sorcerer’s-stone/
2. http://backseatcuddler.com/2009/01/21/harry-potter-and-the-deathly-hallows-starts-shooting/