The Selfish Gene
Book Cover
Size: 5.1 x 7.6 x 1.5 in
This is a set of three redesigned book covers for Richard Dawkins’ The Selfish Gene. All three designs are tied together by one big idea from the book — especially his famous quote: "We are survival machines — robot vehicles blindly programmed to preserve the selfish molecules known as genes."
• Concept
Dawkins describes us as “structured machines” built for the long-term survival of our genes, carrying genetic information all the way back from our early sapiens ancestors. Inspired by this idea, I designed a blueprint-themed cover to represent how our genes are "engineered" for survival. I used a layer of light vellum paper over colored paper to mimic the delicate, translucent quality of real blueprints.
• Concept
Dawkins emphasizes that our lives are not truly our own — we are simply vehicles for our genes. The importance of individual humans fades in the face of the genes’ selfish drive to survive. To capture this, I pixelated the human portrait on the cover until it becomes almost unrecognizable, highlighting the idea that our personal identities are secondary to the agenda of our genes.
• Concept
Dawkins sees us as "programmed" machines, following the instructions of our genes. For this idea, I transformed the imagery of a human genetic test into a computer language source. This shows the idea that humans are programmed, like computers, to help genes survive.
