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Unleaded

Book Cover Design

 

Motion Design


A book cover inspired by the podcast episode “Unleaded” from the series “America Dissected,” hosted by Abdul El-Sayed. The podcast focuses on the Flint Water Crisis, where residents were exposed to lead contaminated water.

The cover platforms the residents of Flint, depicting their interactions with clean and contaminated water. It does so through the use of minimal line drawings inspired by images from news stories capturing their experience through the crisis. The use of blue and orange colors differentiates water quality.

On the floating shipless oceans / I did all my best to smile / Till your singing eyes and fingers / Drew me loving to your isle / And you sang, "Sail to me / Sail to me; let me enfold you / Here I am, here I am / Waiting to hold you" / Did I dream you dreamed about me? / Were you here when I was full-sail? / Now my foolish boat is leaning / Broken lovelorn on your rocks / For you sing, "Touch me not / Touch me not; come back tomorrow / Oh, my heart—oh, my heart / Shies from the sorrow" / I’m as puzzled as a newborn child / I’m as riddled as the tide / Should I stand amid the breakers / Or should I lie with death, my bride? / Hear me sing, "Swim to me / Swim to me; let me enfold you / Here I am, here I am / Waiting to hold you"