Life Isn’t All Ha Ha Hee Hee

A series of cover solutions for “The Life Isn’t All Ha Ha Hee Hee” by Meera Syal.
This is a story about three Indian women living in London. They are all friends and they all experience a sense of not quite belonging.
Syal focuses on the difficulty of maintaining one’s cultural values while residing in a completely different country. The three main character attempt to reconcile the values of their homeland versus the values of the land in which they live.
This is my entry to the 2021 Student Design Award contest by Penguin Random House.

“My aim for this cover was to introduce the story through the cover — to help the viewer to get inside the book from the start. The arrangement of the faces of the three female characters establishes their close relationship, and also hints at the concept behind the title — that life has not always been positive and easy for these women. The composition also communicates some of the drama within their stories.

The use of strong colours, patterns, and landmarks is meant to reflect the diversity within the cultural diaspora, but it also helps to bring out some of the wit and humour of the novel. “