UNDERCOVER BOOKS

Short List
TitleUNDERCOVER BOOKS
BrandNATIONAL LIBRARY BOARD (NLB)
Product / ServiceNATIONAL LIBRARY BOARD (NLB)
CategoryC01. Brand & Communications Design
EntrantVMLY&R Singapore, SINGAPORE
Idea Creation VMLY&R Singapore, SINGAPORE
Additional Company COLORTV STUDIO Singapore, SINGAPORE
Additional Company 2 OGILVY Singapore, SINGAPORE

Credits

Name Company Position
Valerie Madon VMLY&R Creative
Jorge Thauby VMLY&R Creative
Julian Gutierrez VMLY&R Creative
Andres Mejia VMLY&R Creative
Kimberly Ang VMLY&R Creative
Andres Moncayo - Creative
Rasyiqah Rahman VMLY&R Creative
Jared Tay COLORTV Creative

Cultural / Context information for the jury

In Singapore, book loans fell by 11.32 mil and web traffic to online shopping platforms increased by 35% in 2020. Alas, Singaporeans were spending less time borrowing books and more time online shopping. So, we hijacked online shopping to sell people on reading by partnering with Carousell, one of Asia’s largest e-marketplaces. We turned it into an online library for a month by creating over 30 fake listings featuring fake, controversial items like perfumes made with humans, haunted tricycles, and invisibility jewellery. When curious shoppers clicked to view the item, they discovered the real story behind the listing. An original book cover was designed for each item. With a simple click of a button on the item’s Carousell page, shoppers were able to borrow the book via NLB’s app. We engaged with over 30,000 people, increased app downloads, eBook borrowings and made Singaporeans read a whole lot more.

Tell the jury about the illustration.

If "a book is a device to ignite the imagination", why shouldn't its book cover be equally imaginative? We collaborated with Andres Moncayo, an illustrator currently based in New York City, to create 31 original book covers. Each cover captured the essence of each story and featured an iconic character or moment from the book. Moreover, in line with the controversy behind each Carousell listening, the illustrations took on a more mysterious tone.

Links

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