Fake book covers to promote literacy

By Creative Bloq Staff
published

They look like real-life pulp classics - but they're actually part of a guerrilla marketing campaign created to promote a local bookstore.

These tattered-looking book covers look like the lost classics of vintage pulp literature. But they're actually part of a clever marketing campaign to promote Weller Book Works in Salt Lake City, the largest independent bookstore in Utah.

"The best tool to avoid zombification isn’t a shotgun. It’s the ability to learn, to think, to discern" - reads the accompanying copy to this fake cover design

"The best tool to avoid zombification isn’t a shotgun. It’s the ability to learn, to think, to discern" - reads the accompanying copy to this fake cover design

The campaign was masterminded by leading Utah design agency Super Top Secret.

As well as creating a new logo, website, and series of print ads to generate awareness of the store and its new location, they carried out a guerrilla marketing campaign codenamed 'Operation Book Drop' - in which they left 878 free books littered around town, wrapped in seven custom-created covers.

The accompany cover to this design reads: "Imagine one person built of Plato, Einstein, Ghandi, the Founding Fathers and Jackie Chan. If you read, you can become that person."

The accompany cover to this design reads: "Imagine one person built of Plato, Einstein, Ghandi, the Founding Fathers and Jackie Chan. If you read, you can become that person."

The project was conceived and executed by Ryan Martindale (creative director), Jared Strain (design director), Tanner Capua (designer), Ryan Martindale (copywriter) and JD Hawkins (illustrator).

This design comes with the words: "Do you know that when you buy from locally owned businesses at least 70% more of the money you spend stays in the local economy?"

This design comes with the words: "Do you know that when you buy from locally owned businesses at least 70% more of the money you spend stays in the local economy?"

The only complaint we have is that we now want to read these imaginary books - somebody write them now!

You can see full details of the campaign, plus all seven of these awesome cover designs here.

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Creative Bloq Staff

The Creative Bloq team is made up of a group of design fans, and has changed and evolved since Creative Bloq began back in 2012. The current website team consists of seven full-time members of staff: Editor Georgia Coggan, Deputy Editor Rosie Hilder, Deals Editor Beren Neale, Senior News Editor Daniel Piper, Digital Arts and Design Editor Ian Dean, Tech Reviews Editor Erlingur Einarsson and Ecommerce Writer Abi Le Guilcher, as well as a roster of freelancers from around the world. The 3D World and ImagineFX magazine teams also pitch in, ensuring that content from 3D World and ImagineFX is represented on Creative Bloq. 

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