Project Focus
Book cover culture · Visual collecting · Reader behaviour · Design-led cataloguing

Research Intent

• Explore how book covers influence buying, collecting, and emotional attachment

• Investigate collector culture through Harry Potter as a global case study

• Understand visual identity, regional editions, translations, and unofficial publications

• Analyse market value vs emotional value in book collecting

• ​Identify gaps in existing collector resources (fragmented, overwhelming, non-inclusive)

​Key Research Insights

• Book covers act as entry points, memory triggers, and collectible artefacts

• Readers often buy multiple editions of the same story due to cover reinterpretation

• Harry Potter has 100+ official covers, plus unauthorised and rare editions

• Collecting becomes unsustainable without structure, planning, and prioritisation

• Existing resources focus on completion, not realistic collecting journeys

​Design Problem

• How can collecting Harry Potter books be made accessible, sustainable, and visually organised for new collectors?

Design Concept

• A planner-style catalogue, not a checklist

• Focus on decision-making, not instruction

• Empowers collectors to plan based on budget, availability, and difficulty

• Encourages long-term engagement rather than instant completion
   

Design Outcome

• Proposal for a 7-volume publication series

• Format: 10×10 inch catalogue book

• Outcome: Beginner’s guide to collecting Harry Potter book covers

• Structure based on:

• Rarity

• Availability

• Cost

• Difficulty

• Visual uniqueness
   

Design Thinking

• Editorial design as a tool for planning

• Categorisation as visual navigation

• Annual release model to sustain interest and affordability

• Balances research, storytelling, and usability
   

Final Intent

• To create one of the first structured, design-led collector guides for Harry Potter books,
  transforming collecting from an overwhelming obsession into a personal, achievable journey
   

Content Strategy (Volume 1 Content)

• Originals (UK / US first editions)

• Forgotten editions

• The “Big Six” (extreme rarity)

• Country-specific covers

• Unauthorised publications

• Language-based editions

• Visually divergent & illustrated covers

• Unknown / misleading covers