> Skip to content

Article  •  10 September 2019

 

On design: The Testaments

Suzanne Dean, Creative Director at Vintage, reveals how she went about working on the top secret brief for one of the world’s most anticipated books, The Testaments.

The first I knew about ‘The Project’, was a message from the Editor, Becky Hardie:

‘I know almost nothing about the new book, but here’s a para she wrote at the time in case it’s useful. Let’s talk about whether or not we can get ahead at some point soon.’ - B.

What I then read was a starting point. I typically read the full manuscript or at least a proposal or synopsis, before embarking on the design process. I had previously commissioned Noma Bar to illustrate what was now an iconic book cover for, The Handmaids Tale. It was obvious to me that I should work again with him on the cover for the sequel. I decided I would have to ask Margaret Atwood some questions, to give me more of a steer for the cover concept.

'Hello! We are tentatively going to start seeing if we can pull off an iconic jacket without having read the book!!! If we can’t, we will revert to the conventional way (ie read it first). I shared your initial ideas with Suzanne (Art Director) and she has some questions. See below’  - B

Prior to publication, I can’t share any questions or answers as Becky said 'These answers must stay totally between us.' 

With Noma (based in London) on board, and briefed in secret, the plan was for him to sketch some images, which he would then send back to me. To complicate matters, I was on holiday in Vancouver, and the Editor Becky, was on holiday in a remote part of Indonesia. I would text her, and then she would find internet access, so she could properly communicate with me about the work in progress.

Over the next couple of weeks our secret emails traversed the globe:

‘Had a very good conversation with Noma who is sitting in the woods brainstorming. He hopes to send first roughs on the 23rd!’ - S

‘Hi Suzanne, Hope that all well in Vancouver :) Please see the attached file - 19 page - will text you soon’  - Noma. 

Noma

‘Please forgive quick notes, We are about to depart…Some promising things here, Noma seems to think back cover of our double cover idea doesn’t work, but I think …’ - S

‘Hello! Just arrived in Singapore… I still really like the…’ - B

 Two weeks later and after much back and forth:

‘Hi both, Hope you are ok…  I finished writing a long email, pressed send and then it crashed! Agh, Anyway, I think you shouldn’t do anything more on these at the moment Noma. I need to work up a selection of visuals on my return and then they will be presented to various people before the chosen one/ones go to the author’  - S

The response in-house was unanimously positive. Becky sent the visual over to Margaret Atwood and her agent, who coincidentally happened to be visiting her in Canada. After a few minor tweaks and much discussion about whether to go neon or not, we had a cover, which then remained secret for several months. Looking back over these messages, it’s hard to believe we were working on a design at such an early stage of book’s process. It was a gamble which paid off, and we achieved the near impossible, as both the US and Canada were keen to use our jacket too.

We had a global book cover design ready for the big reveal.

Feature Title

The Testaments
In this electrifying sequel to The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood answers the question that has tantalised readers for decades: What happened to Offred?
Read more

More features

See all
Q&A
Margaret Atwood Q&A

Margaret Atwood discusses her return to Gilead.

News
Margaret Atwood writing Handmaid’s Tale sequel

The Testaments is to be published September 2019.

News
The Handmaid’s Tale audiobook read by Elisabeth Moss

Elisabeth Moss, star of the hit TV show The Handmaid’s Tale, has narrated the audiobook edition of Margaret Atwood’s classic novel. 

Q&A
First Person Singular cover design Q&A

Vintage Creative Director Suzanne Dean and artist Lena Peters on circles, Murakami and monkeys.

Article
Staff recommendations: Books we've been loving

Want to know what books the Penguin NZ team have been reading and loving recently? Read on for our recommendations!

Article
5 of the hottest YA books right now (2025)

Check out some of the hottest YA books in stores now, from epic romantasy to sweet, unexpected romance.

Article
Best historical fiction books to read in 2025

From tales of Ancient Greece to epics set in the Second World War, these are the historical novels at the top of our reading piles this year.

Article
How to save money on groceries: 6 innovative budget tips

Food shopping on a budget? These tips from Money-Saving Meal Plans With Chelsea will help you spend less on food.

Article
Mother's Day Memories: Penguin Authors

For Mother's Day 2025 we're celebrating the power of books to bring us closer.

Article
Mother's Day Memories: Penguin Staff

For Mother's Day 2025 we're celebrating the power of books to bring us closer.

Article
Win mum her favourite books this Mother’s Day!

Let us know below which three of our fantastic Mother’s Day books mum would love, and we’ll send them to you in time for Mother’s Day!

Article
Our Favourite Film & TV Tie-Ins for 2025

Read on for some of the Film and TV tie-ins we're most excited about at the moment!

Looking for more articles?

See all articles